State highway bridges in Northwest Missouri are safe, but needs still remain.
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State highway bridges in Northwest Missouri are safe, but limited funding means many needed bridge improvements can’t be addressed, an official of the Missouri Department of Transportation says.
“Substantial improvements are planned for bridges in this area,” said Dave Ahlvers, district engineer. “We know how important bridges are to people – going to work, taking children to school, and traveling safely. We’re keeping our bridges safe, but we simply don’t have the money to address every need that exists.”
Every bridge on the state highway system is safe, Ahlvers emphasized. “Every single bridge in the state is inspected at least once a year,” he said. “If it’s open to traffic, you know it’s safe to drive across.”
“But that doesn’t mean improvements aren’t needed,” Ahlvers added. “Some older bridges aren’t quite as wide as newer structures, and some other bridges have weight restrictions because they can’t handle heavy loads. They’re safe to drive across, but they need to be rehabilitated to carry traffic even better.”
Major projects in Northwest Missouri which are scheduled for improvement and completion by spring of 2002 include:
Caldwell County, Route F: Bridge deck replacement at Brush Creek and Crabapple Creek.
Buchanan County, Route I-29: Bridge regalement at Faraon Street over I-29.
Gentry County, Route 136: Bridge replacement at the Middle Fork of the Grand River.
Nodaway County, Route 148: Three bridge replacements at Harmon Branch, Beard Branch, and Beard Creek.
Eight additional bridge deck replacements are scheduled on various counties and routes throughout Northwest Missouri.
“Now that the state legislature has authorized bond financing, we hope to be able to complete some of these projects even more quickly, although we don’t yet know which projects may be eligible for this funding,” Ahlvers said.
“Bond financing won’t solve our overall problem,” MoDot Director Henry Hungerbeeler said recently. “Bond money is really just a loan; we’ll have to pay it back with interest. The problem still remains that there are many more improvements needed than money to do all the work. We’re doing our best to improve roads and bridges in Missouri, but we’ll keep falling further and further behind without additional resources.”