Bridge over Turnback Creek northeast of Mount Vernon to be closed

(From MODOT)

Contractor crews are set to CLOSE the Lawrence County Route M bridge over Turnback Creek northeast of Mt. Vernon beginning the week of March 6 to replace the bridge, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.

Crews will CLOSE the bridge until the end of June, as they demolish the existing single-lane bridge and replace it with a new two-lane bridge. 

In addition, the contractor will add new barrier walls, object markers at the ends of the bridge and new permanent striping. The current bridge is 14-feet wide and will be widened to 24 feet to accommodate two (2) 10 foot lanes and two foot shoulders on either side of the new bridge.

This bridge was built in 1951 and is in a deteriorating condition. Approximately 325 vehicles cross the bridge daily.

Traffic Impacts

All lanes of Route M will be CLOSED over Turnback Creek for the duration of the project.

Drivers will have access to driveways and entrances on either end of the bridge, but will not be able to drive through the work zone.

Signs and message boards will alert drivers approaching the work zone.

Drivers should consider alternate routes during the project.

Check MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map for road closings/traffic impacts

Weather and/or construction delays could alter the work schedule.

This work is part of a three-year project to improve 25 bridges within 15 miles of I-44 across the Southwest District. Of the 25 bridges in the project, known as the I-44 Corridor Bridge Bundle, seven (7) are mainline I-44 bridges, five (5) are I-44 overpass bridges and the remaining bridges are on adjacent routes over various features. Sixteen (16) bridges will be replaced and nine (9) bridges will receive major rehabilitation work.

More information about this project can be found on the project website – I-44 Corridor Bridge Bundle.

Project Details

Prime Contractor – The ESS TeamEmery Sapp & Sons, Inc. – Columbia
Parsons Transportation Group, Inc. – St. Louis
Total Project Cost: $43.2 million
Contract Completion Date: September 30, 2024

The ESS Team is a partnership of engineering and construction firms that will design and construct the project with oversight by MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.