By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA small portion of Interstate 29 south
of St. Joseph will close at the end of the week.The Missouri Department of
Transportation and Clarkson Construction will be replacing the Route 116 bridge
over I-29, beginning Thursday, January 23rd. The Route 116 bridge is
expected to be closed through May.MoDOT says the demolition of the old
bridge will force the closing of I-29 between Dearborn and Faucettt for 24
hours on Friday, January 24th, and Saturday, January 25th.MoDOT says the closure will have
extreme impacts on traffic. MoDOT encourages drivers to plan ahead and consider
an alternate route during the planned 24-hour closure. Heavy congestion and
delays along the detour routes will be significant. Motorists
can expect lengthy slowdowns in the area.Beginning Friday evening, at 10pm, all
traffic on I-29, both northbound and southbound, will be rerouted between
Dearborn and Faucett. The plan is to reopen at least one lane of I-29 in each
direction by 10 o’clock the following evening.The
current, planned signed detour route is along Routes H/Z, 371 and DD. Motorists must follow the signed detour or
find an alternate route.There might be additional
single-lane closures on I-29 under the bridge during its replacement. All work
is subject to the weather, according to MoDOT.For
more information about these and other MoDOT projects, sign up <a href="https://www6.modot.mo.gov/eMoDOTWeb/jsp/signon/signon.jsp">online for work zone updates</a>, visit
modot.org and view the online Traveler Information Map, or call 888-ASK-MODOT
(275-6636) In addition, MoDOT provides updated
information on Twitter @MoDOTNorthwest and Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MoDOTNWDistrict">www.facebook.com/MoDOTNWDistrict</a>.

Expect delays: MoDOT to close portion of I-29 south of St. Joseph at end of week