Little Public Input on Galena Bridge Replacement
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April 19, 2018
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MoDOT held a public meeting about replacing the 95 year old bridge over Railey Creek on Highway 248 on Thursday, April 12. The bridge will be replaced at some point in 2019.
Isaac Estes-Jones
Only a few members of the public attended the meeting about replacing the Railey Creek Bridge last week. The meeting was held on Thursday, April 12, in the Commission meeting room at the Stone County Courthouse.
In 2019, the Missouri Department of Transportation will close Route 248 over Railey Creek, just east of Galena, for up to six months while the 95 year old structure is torn down and replaced with a modern, wider bridge.
Those with concerns or other input still have time to share their thoughts with MoDOT via their online public meeting. Those interested in learning more about this project can visit http://www.modot.org/southwest and follow the link to the project’s information page, which is titled “ONLINE MEETING: Route 248/Railey Creek Bridge Replacement - Galena Area.” There, visitors can view all of the information MoDOT had on display last week. There is also a link to give comments on the project.
One question MoDOT is looking for input to answer is this:
“This project includes the replacement of the bridge over Railey Creek and the rehabilitation of the Route 76 bridge over Table Rock Lake near Cape Fair. Construction is scheduled to begin in late spring/early summer of 2019. It could take 9 to 12 months to finish both bridges. When the bridge over Table Rock Lake is closed, the detoured traffic will use the Railey Creek bridge. Working on only one bridge at a time, do you have a preference on which bridge is completed first?”
According to Kristi Bachman, the Project Manager with MoDOT on this bridge replacement, the bridge carries just over 1,000 vehicles per day. “It’s a beautiful structure, but it needs to be replaced with all of the work we have to do on it,” Bachman said.
The new bridge will be substantially wider than the existing structure. Once completed, the bridge will be 30 feet wide, up from the current 20, and will have two foot wide shoulders on each side of the bridge.
The bridge will be about one foot higher in elevation, compared to the existing bridge. This increase in height will not be enough to stop water from flowing over the bridge during heavy rains. “Unfortunately, it would be too costly to raise the bridge enough to mitigate the flooding,” Bachman said.
The estimated total cost for the 248 bridge replacement is $1.2 million.
The approaches to the bridge will be replaced as well, slightly widening the road to the north and south of the bridge. According to a factsheet from MoDOT, the north approach will be about 230 feet long, with the south approach 105 feet.
During construction, the official detours will use Routes 176, 160/13 and/or Routes 248/265/413. There are also smaller roads that locals may already use, including Railey Creek Road.
Bachman said that construction of the new bridge could take up to six months, during which time the highway will be closed. Dr. Danny Humble, Superintendent of Galena R-II School District, said “We only have one bus the goes that way, but it is a super easy re-route. It won’t really have a major impact on us.”
This bridge project will be constructed in coordination with the Highway 76 bridge rehabilitation in Cape Fair. “We want to avoid traffic impacts as much as possible,” Bachman said. She is also the project manager for the Table Rock Lake bridge rehabilitation.
76 Bridge to be closed at night only
Bachman was able to confirm to The Chronicle that the Highway 76 bridge rehabilitation will take place at night only, using pre-cast pieces of the driving deck.
“Based on public feedback, talking to businesses and emergency services, we will be doing the night closures,” she said.
These night closures will help prevent major traffic impacts. It will, however, increase the total cost for the project. “The pre-cast deck option is about $600,000 more expensive than traditional replacement,” Bachman said previously.
The start dates for construction on both projects have not been set. Both projects will start next year, 2019.
Only a few members of the public attended the meeting about replacing the Railey Creek Bridge last week. The meeting was held on Thursday, April 12, in the Commission meeting room at the Stone County Courthouse.
In 2019, the Missouri Department of Transportation will close Route 248 over Railey Creek, just east of Galena, for up to six months while the 95 year old structure is torn down and replaced with a modern, wider bridge.
Those with concerns or other input still have time to share their thoughts with MoDOT via their online public meeting. Those interested in learning more about this project can visit http://www.modot.org/southwest and follow the link to the project’s information page, which is titled “ONLINE MEETING: Route 248/Railey Creek Bridge Replacement - Galena Area.” There, visitors can view all of the information MoDOT had on display last week. There is also a link to give comments on the project.
One question MoDOT is looking for input to answer is this:
“This project includes the replacement of the bridge over Railey Creek and the rehabilitation of the Route 76 bridge over Table Rock Lake near Cape Fair. Construction is scheduled to begin in late spring/early summer of 2019. It could take 9 to 12 months to finish both bridges. When the bridge over Table Rock Lake is closed, the detoured traffic will use the Railey Creek bridge. Working on only one bridge at a time, do you have a preference on which bridge is completed first?”
According to Kristi Bachman, the Project Manager with MoDOT on this bridge replacement, the bridge carries just over 1,000 vehicles per day. “It’s a beautiful structure, but it needs to be replaced with all of the work we have to do on it,” Bachman said.
The new bridge will be substantially wider than the existing structure. Once completed, the bridge will be 30 feet wide, up from the current 20, and will have two foot wide shoulders on each side of the bridge.
The bridge will be about one foot higher in elevation, compared to the existing bridge. This increase in height will not be enough to stop water from flowing over the bridge during heavy rains. “Unfortunately, it would be too costly to raise the bridge enough to mitigate the flooding,” Bachman said.
The estimated total cost for the 248 bridge replacement is $1.2 million.
The approaches to the bridge will be replaced as well, slightly widening the road to the north and south of the bridge. According to a factsheet from MoDOT, the north approach will be about 230 feet long, with the south approach 105 feet.
During construction, the official detours will use Routes 176, 160/13 and/or Routes 248/265/413. There are also smaller roads that locals may already use, including Railey Creek Road.
Bachman said that construction of the new bridge could take up to six months, during which time the highway will be closed. Dr. Danny Humble, Superintendent of Galena R-II School District, said “We only have one bus the goes that way, but it is a super easy re-route. It won’t really have a major impact on us.”
This bridge project will be constructed in coordination with the Highway 76 bridge rehabilitation in Cape Fair. “We want to avoid traffic impacts as much as possible,” Bachman said. She is also the project manager for the Table Rock Lake bridge rehabilitation.
76 Bridge to be closed at night only
Bachman was able to confirm to The Chronicle that the Highway 76 bridge rehabilitation will take place at night only, using pre-cast pieces of the driving deck.
“Based on public feedback, talking to businesses and emergency services, we will be doing the night closures,” she said.
These night closures will help prevent major traffic impacts. It will, however, increase the total cost for the project. “The pre-cast deck option is about $600,000 more expensive than traditional replacement,” Bachman said previously.
The start dates for construction on both projects have not been set. Both projects will start next year, 2019.
