Prepare for detours if you're around Chariton County later this month—the Route D bridge over Mussel Fork Creek is closing for a big overhaul. Come January 20, drivers will need to plot a new path between Marceline and Keytesville while the bridge, a fixture since 1947 that sees roughly 191 vehicles a day, gets a much-needed replacement. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, this is part of the Northwest Bridge Bundle project which is set to wrap up in June 2025.
It's the 14th bridge in a series of 31 getting some TLC to kick their poor condition to the curb. Making bridge replacements a little sleeker, Missouri Department of Transportation Project Director Michael Marriott mentioned, "The Northwest Bridge Bundle is a Design-Build project which will replace or rehabilitate 31 poor-condition bridges in north central Missouri, and this bridge is number 14," as per the MoDOT website. The state's selected a design-build approach: this means the Capital – Horner & Shifrin team, who scored the contract last December, will both design and construct the improvements. They'll do it all under one tidy contract, with MoDOT directing the traffic of goals, budget, and schedule.
Missouri is betting on speed and savings with the design-build model, a departure from traditional project delivery methods where design and construction are separate contracts—there's hope it's a brighter road ahead for Missouri's infrastructure. If you're curious about what other bridges are on deck for a revamp, the full list's up for your perusal on the Northwest Bridge Bundle web page. Just a heads up, all this bridge business is at the mercy of the weather and subject to change. Keep an eye out and plan accordingly.
