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In Joplin, a bridge replacement project will close part of major road for several weeks

Range Line Road Bridge that is scheduled to be replaced starting July 18
Skalicky, Michele R
/
MODOT
Range Line Road Bridge that is scheduled to be replaced starting July 18

Drivers will need to find alternate routes during the closure.

A bridge replacement project in Joplin will require drivers to find alternate ways to get to their destinations.

The Range Line Road Bridge over the Kansas City Southern Railroad will close for up to 87 days beginning the week of July 18, transportation officials say.

The bridge is included in the $351 million Focus on Bridges program, which will repair or replace 250 bridges across Missouri.

The 2019 Missouri General Assembly approved a proposal designating $50 million from state general revenue to replace or repair 45 bridges in Fiscal Year 2020.

MODOT has received an $81.2 million INFRA Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which will trigger a $301 million bonding program. That program was authorized by the Missouri Legislature in 2019 and will be repaid over seven years.

A total of 250 bridges will be repaired or replaced as part of the Focus on Bridges program.

The new bridge over the railroad tracks on Range Line Road in Joplin will be two feet higher and 15 feet wider and will have sidewalks on both sides.

The current bridge was built in 1976 and is deteriorating, MODOT said in a news release. More than 24,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day.

There will be signed detours.

The bridge is scheduled to reopen to traffic no later than November 1st.