Miami bridge demolition postponed (UPDATE 3:40 p.m. Oct 20)

A brilliant boom and cascading lights will once again reflect off the Missouri River as demolition begins on the Miami River Bridge on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8 a.m., according to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release.

Explosive charges will be strategically placed along sections of the bridge to maximize clearance of the steel structure without damaging the concrete piers. The piers will be used to support the new bridge once constructed, MoDOT officials said.

The implosion can be viewed from the public river access area near the bridge. Two subsequent implosions will take place over the coming weeks.

The Miami River Bridge project calls for a partial replacement of the bridge. The overhead truss will be removed along with all the current decking and girders.

When completed, the bridge will have new decking and girders and be 26-feet wide (11-foot lanes with 2-foot shoulders).

The life expectancy of the new bridge is 50 plus years.

Last year explosive charges were used successfully in the demolition of the Glasgow River Bridge, which was a project nearly identical to the Miami Bridge project. That project has since been completed.

For more information, contact the MoDOT District 2 Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK MoDOT (275-6636) between 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On the Net:

www.modot.mo.gov/northcentral/miamibridg...