Center Junction reconfiguration to take major step next week

The Missouri Department of Transportation will accept bids May 17 on a two-year project to replace the aging bridges along Interstate 55 over Highway 61 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Bids will be opened and considered at the Missouri Highway Commission's June 5 meeting and, if a bid is accepted and contract awarded, work at the Exit 99 interchange, also known as Center Junction, will begin by early August. The project timeline calls for completion by August 2021.

Built in 1961 as part of the original interstate construction, both the northbound and southbound bridges were designated for replacement following an inspection of their condition.

"We don't replace bridges just because they are getting old," said MoDOT area engineer Brian Okenfuss. "We look at the condition of the substructure, superstructure and deck. If any element gets to be in poor condition we must decide if it is worth repairing or if it is better to do a complete replacement."

Okenfuss said the decks of both Center Junction bridges are in "poor" condition.

"We decided that it would be more cost effective to replace the entire structures instead of just replacing the decks," he said.

Although work is expected to start in August, the area engineer said it will be several months before traffic is significantly affected. The first phase of the project will involve extension of acceleration lanes leading onto the interstate in both directions, construction of temporary crossover lanes through the medians both north and south of the bridges, and adding an overlay to the outer road on the southwest corner of the interchange. "Basically we'll be getting as much preliminary work done as we can this year," Okenfuss said.

"Then, starting April 1 of next year, that's when we'll see the biggest traffic impact," he continued. "At that time, our contractor will close the northbound I-55 bridge and we'll run traffic head-to-head in the southbound lanes, one lane in each direction, while they replace that bridge."

Replacement of the northbound bridge is targeted for completion by November 15, 2020.

"We don't think it will take that much time, but that's the deadline we've set." Okenfuss said. "Once complete, then we'll close the southbound bridge and run one lane in each direction on the new northbound bridge while the southbound bridge is replaced."

During the bridge replacement process, the eastbound and westbound lanes of Highway 61 under the bridges will be closed periodically. "This will all be happening simultaneously," Okenfuss said, adding the time construction timeline could vary depending on weather and other factors.

The overall cost of the bridge replacement project is estimated at more than $10 million.

jwolz@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630