Explosive activities will close interstate briefly

Interstate 55 will be closed to traffic at the Diversion Channel south of Cape Girardeau for up to 15 minutes on Tuesday afternoon so old piers can be demolished, state highway officials said Friday.

"We'll be using explosives to demolish the piers and must close the interstate for safety reasons," said Missouri Department of Transportation engineer Bob Wilson.

Scott Meyer, MoDOT's district engineer in Sikeston, said northbound and southbound traffic will be stopped at the channel bridge near the old piers at 2 p.m.

Meyer said his agency and the contractor, Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson, want to avoid having any debris strike vehicles on the roadway.

Meyer said four or five piers must be removed as part of the project to install a new bridge for northbound traffic.

He said the demolition work could back up traffic for as little as three to four minutes, but it's possible motorists could be delayed by as much as 15 minutes.

The state highway commission awarded the $10.68 million bridge replacement contract to Penzel Construction in August 2000. Since then, there have been a number of traffic delays at the Diversion Channel because of construction.

The project includes replacing the northbound bridge over the Diversion Channel with a new seismically designed span and adding a third lane the full length of the bridge to provide easier access for entering northbound traffic. The project also involves the relocation of the onramps and offramps at the Route AB interchange near the Diversion Channel to better handle traffic from large trucks.

MoDOT officials said the project is expected to be completed by October.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123