FRUITLAND I-55 WORK TO BEGIN MONDAY

Construction is slated to begin Monday to replace the Interstate 55 bridges at the Fruitland exit; it is to be completed by Sept. 1, 2000.

Bob York, construction inspector for the Missouri Department of Transportation office at Jackson, said the bridges over U.S. 61 will be replaced with seismically designed bridges.

Last summer, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission awarded the $3.3 million contract to Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson.

In addition to being more earthquake resistant, the new spans will be longer to accommodate future widening of Highway 61, York said.

During the project, traffic on I-55 will be reduced to one lane northbound and one lane southbound at the Fruitland.

The inside northbound and southbound lanes will be closed for two to three weeks to construct a southbound bypass. Once in place, southbound traffic will be detoured over the inside lane of the northbound bridge so a new southbound bridge can be built. That will result in two-way traffic on the bridge.

When that work is complete, a northbound bypass will be built, followed by the building of a new northbound bridge. Northbound traffic will be routed over the inside lane of the new southbound bridge. There will be two-way traffic on that bridge.

York said the speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph through the construction area.

"It is going to be very congested," he said. "It will be a dangerous place if people don't mind the speed limits."

York said extreme wide loads such as tractor-trailers hauling mobile homes won't be able to use the bypass.

"It would be a little bit tight if two house trailers were to meet on one of those bridges," he said.

Trucks with wide loads will have to exit I-55 and use the entrance ramp to get back on the interstate, York said.