MoDOT to replace four bridges on Highway 46 in Nodaway County

Bill Florea of the Nodaway County Ambulance District and Bill Walker, Nodaway County presiding commissioner, discuss how emergency vehicles, including ambulance and first responders, will need to access the area on gravel streets during the construction.

The Northwest District of MoDOT held an informational session on July 9 at the Maryville airport regarding the four bridges to be replaced on Highway 46.

The bridges, located west of Maryville at White Cloud Creek, Big Slu, Florida Creek and Stream, are in the design, right-of-way acquisition and public input phases. The project bidding will take place in December, with the project awarded in January 2020. The contractor may begin work in February 2020 and completion is projected for December 2020.

MoDOT will use only paved roads for the official detour. Beginning east of Maryville, traffic will detour onto highways 71 and 136 going to Burlington Jct. At BJ, the detour will proceed south on Highway 113 where it will rejoin 46. Local traffic will be able to utilize Route AB between the bridge projects.

“No one will be landlocked,” MoDOT Project Manager Joyce Reynolds said about the proposed detour.

MoDOT Northwest District is planning for all four bridges to be closed throughout the project, with work taking place on one bridge of each pair at a time.

Presiding Nodaway County Commissioner Bill Walker attended the session to see what MoDOT had planned, the timeline and detours. Local people will use gravel roads as shortcuts around the closed highway. The county and townships will need to keep on top of the conditions as more traffic will cause more wear.

Walker also discussed with Bill Florea of the Nodaway County Ambulance District which gravel roads the ambulances and other emergency vehicles would be taking and the need for continual upkeep on those roads.

MoDOT Northwest District Senior Communications Specialist Marcia Johnson said the Highway 46 overlay project would be bid the end of 2020, with work commencing in 2021 and a finish date of December 2021.