The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) held a ribbon cutting on Monday to observe the opening of a new bridge over Todd Creek on Highway 92 east of Platte City.
The new bridge was started on June 11 of this year and closed the section of road to allow the construction. The original bridge was built in 1932 and carried around 4,000 vehicles a day.
The new bridge is 190 feet long compared to the old bridge only being 150 feet. The new one is also at a higher elevation to avoid frequent flooding.
According to Kirsten Munck, MoDOT area engineer, this is the first of many projects in the area to be completed, with more improvements coming soon.
“We’d like to thank everyone for their patience during construction,” said Munck. “We saved over $1 million by closing the bridge.”
According to MoDOT, closing the bridge allowed the construction company to build the new bridge in the same location, reduced the amount of work required, and reduced impact on adjacent property owners.
“Highway 92 is a very important east-west connection between Platte City and Smithville,” said Betty Knight, Presiding County Commissioner. “This is a great looking bridge, thank you to the contractors and subcontractors who worked on the project.”
Boone Construction Company built the new bridge, which features a 32-foot wide deck with a smoother approach and new drainage improvements.
“The bridge looks nice, they’ve really done a good job on it,” said Ralph Shackelford, local resident.
Other local officials at the opening included Jim Plunkett, second distict county commissioner, and Dave Brooks, Platte City mayor.