BENTON -- The Missouri Department of Transportation will have its bridges in Scott County safe and sound by the end of the year.
Andy Meyer, regional field engineer for MoDOT, updated Scott County Commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday on MoDOT's Safe and Sound bridge program in the county and surrounding area.
The program to replace or rehabilitate just over 800 of MoDOT's most worn-out bridges in the state began in September 2008 with 87 of those being bridges in the 14 counties of District 10.
"We're two years into a five-year program," Meyer said. "At the end of the year, if everything goes all right, we'll be out of Scott County."
As of now, six bridges have been completed under this program in Scott County leaving seven to do this year, he said.
One of the major projects remaining, the replacement of the overpass bridge on Route H south of Blodgett with a steel-beam bridge, will begin with a bang.
"We will close Interstate 55 and blow that bridge up," Meyer said. "We determined that is the the fastest, easiest way to do it."
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