Drivers in Northwest Missouri should brace for delays as the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) embarks on a series of highway repairs and construction from Jan. 6-12, throughout the region, ranging from pot hole patching to bridge maintenance, their plans and schedule could shift due to the whims of winter weather.
The lineup of roadwork includes Interstate 29 southbound pothole reparations stretching from mile marker 114.6 to 114.0 on Monday, and at Buchanan County, both sides of I-29 at the Easton Road bridge will see maintenance on consecutive days, with the southbound bridge on Monday and the northbound on Tuesday and an additional interruption will occur on I-229 where the ramp from I-229 southbound onto I-29 northbound will be closed for bridge work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday to Thursday.
Significant closures affect more than just interstate travel, local routes in Caldwell, Chariton, Nodaway, and Putnam counties are seeing long-term projects that impact daily commutes and community connectivity; Route D in Caldwell is indefinitely shut due to deck issues with replacement slated for January 2025, while Chariton's Route 11 at Salt Creek Bridge is also off-limits expecting a bridge revival set to stretch through March 2025.
For those relying on the infrastructure of Nodaway and Putnam, the news is mixed, with Route NN west of Parnell closed due to severe bridge weakening with preparations underway for a March 2025 fix, while in Putnam, Route M and Route 129 dance to the same repair rhythm with their respective bridges over Medicine Creek Fork and North Blackbird Creek being tended to until January and February 2025 respectively, according to MoDOT.
While MoDOT encourages responsible driving through these zones, said "buckling up, putting your phone down, slowing down and moving over in work zones," it is also advisable for travellers to frequently check their website or download MoDOT's app for the latest travel updates.
