The bridge over Bryant Creek on Highway 76 east of Ava is scheduled to close next Monday for replacement. The bridge was constructed in 1948 and is one of more than 800 bridges being replaced in Missouri.
The bridge over Bryant Creek on Route 76 east of Ava is scheduled to be closed Sept. 19, so the bridge can be replaced, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.
The new bridge on Route 76 is scheduled to open to traffic by Nov. 12.
The bridge project in Douglas County is part of MoDOT’s Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement program that will replace or repair 802 bridges across Missouri by the end of 2013.
Detour signs for the Route 76 bridge replacement project will be erected along Route C, Route 14 and Route 5.
Motorists are being told once again that state highway traffic normally is not detoured onto county-maintained roads. However, local drivers familiar with the area will be able to use nearby county roads for a shorter route around the closed bridge.
MoDOT and contractors have alerted law enforcement, fire and ambulance agencies so they can plan how to respond to emergency calls with the bridge closed. The post office and school district also have been notified so they can adjust mail carrier routes and bus routes if necessary.
The Route 76 bridge, nine miles east of Ava, was built in 1948.
The prime contractor on the project is KTU Constructors, a group of bridge design and construction companies. The group is replacing 554 bridges of the 802-bridge total in the Safe & Sound program for $487 million.
As part of the Safe & Sound program, the road is closed where each bridge is being replaced or repaired. Closing the road enables workers to do the bridge project quicker, safer and cheaper.
Highway 76 west of Ava is currently closed for replacement of the Beaver Creek bridge between Ava and Goodhope, and also in Taney County just east of Bradleyville.
Both of those projects are scheduled to be completed in late September or early October.
