KANSAS CITY – Repair of the eastbound middle lane of the Manchester Bridge has been rescheduled for this weekend after rain postponed last weekend’s work.
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The left and center lanes of eastbound I-70 on Manchester Bridge will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Saturday for deck repair. The ramp from Route 40 to eastbound I-70 also will close during this time.
The repairs are part of a recurring concern on the Manchester Bridges, which were built in 1959.
On Monday, MoDOT maintenance crews performed urgent repairs to holes in the bridge deck that developed earlier Monday. The repairs couldn’t wait until scheduled weekend work, and the urgency required center lane closure during much of the evening rush hour.
Last month, MoDOT selected four finalists to compete for a design/build contract to replace the 2,400-foot-long bridge built during the Eisenhower era of interstate construction. MoDOT expects to award a contract in July for the bridge replacement project.
Most bridges are designed to last far longer than 54 years, but along I-70, the bridges and pavement have taken on far more weight and volume of traffic than ever envisioned when they were designed in the mid- to late ’50s.
Manchester Bridge is the Kansas City District’s best example of what is occurring with I-70 across Missouri: Pavement far past its replacement schedule and bridges taking a pounding far beyond their design parameters.
