Railey Creek Bridge Replacement Completed, Reopened To Traffic
April 9, 2020
Isaac Estes-Jones
The $1.2 million replacement of Railey Creek bridge outside of Galena was completed and opened to the public on Friday, April 3. The bridge had been closed since November 18.
The new bridge replaced the original structure, built in 1923. It was deteriorating too much to justify the increased maintenance costs.
The new bridge is 30 feet wide, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).
"Contractor crews have completed the project to replace the bridge over Railey Creek. Drivers may see crews completing work to apply grass seed and mulch in areas with one-lane traffic during the week of April 6, but traffic will be able to cross the new bridge," said a MoDOT release.
In addition to the extra 10 feet in width, MoDOT said the new bridge is about one foot higher than the old structure. This will not stop water from flowing over the roadway during heavy rains, however. “Unfortunately, it would be too costly to raise the bridge enough to mitigate the flooding,” a MoDOT representative said at a public hearing on the project in April 2018.
Lehman Construction Company of California. Mo., was the primary contractor.
MoDOT is scheduled to begin work on the Highway 76 bridge at Cape Fair this fall, with closures only at night to mitigate traffic impacts.
The $1.2 million replacement of Railey Creek bridge outside of Galena was completed and opened to the public on Friday, April 3. The bridge had been closed since November 18.
The new bridge replaced the original structure, built in 1923. It was deteriorating too much to justify the increased maintenance costs.
The new bridge is 30 feet wide, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).
"Contractor crews have completed the project to replace the bridge over Railey Creek. Drivers may see crews completing work to apply grass seed and mulch in areas with one-lane traffic during the week of April 6, but traffic will be able to cross the new bridge," said a MoDOT release.
In addition to the extra 10 feet in width, MoDOT said the new bridge is about one foot higher than the old structure. This will not stop water from flowing over the roadway during heavy rains, however. “Unfortunately, it would be too costly to raise the bridge enough to mitigate the flooding,” a MoDOT representative said at a public hearing on the project in April 2018.
Lehman Construction Company of California. Mo., was the primary contractor.
MoDOT is scheduled to begin work on the Highway 76 bridge at Cape Fair this fall, with closures only at night to mitigate traffic impacts.