Rocheport I-70 Missouri River Crossing

[mvak36]

Video with some more details on the overall project:

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/modot-outlines-rocheport-bridge-plans/article_a495d396-fae1-11eb-bc43-6bbe10ee8137.html

After this it should be fairly simply to widen the rest of the interstate to 6 lanes between STL and KC, no?

Assuming the infrastructure bill passes the House, I don't know if they will get enough to widen across the whole state but hopefully they will widen some sections with that money.

In my opinion, they should probably start at Wentzville and work their way westward. Hopefully they can do some of the trickier sections (like the railroad bridge between exits 208 and 209) first.

[skluth]

Video with some more details on the overall project:

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/modot-outlines-rocheport-bridge-plans/article_a495d396-fae1-11eb-bc43-6bbe10ee8137.html

After this it should be fairly simply to widen the rest of the interstate to 6 lanes between STL and KC, no?

Assuming the infrastructure bill passes the House, I don't know if they will get enough to widen across the whole state but hopefully they will widen some sections with that money.

In my opinion, they should probably start at Wentzville and work their way westward. Hopefully they can do some of the trickier sections (like the railroad bridge between exits 208 and 209) first.

Wentzville is one of the tougher sections to widen I-70 for six lanes. A railroad viaduct would need to be rebuilt and there are some frontage roads built right up to the interstate. Wentzville and Columbia may be the last sections of I-70 widened from four lanes to six. It would be better and easier to just start six-laning the rest of I-70 in spurts starting from the new bridge and east from KC and wait for the voter demand to widen the remainder.

[will_e_777]

Is Modot going to have to widen that cut through the bluffs on the east side of the river?

[Great Lakes Roads]

Video with some more details on the overall project:

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/modot-outlines-rocheport-bridge-plans/article_a495d396-fae1-11eb-bc43-6bbe10ee8137.html

After this it should be fairly simply to widen the rest of the interstate to 6 lanes between STL and KC, no?

Assuming the infrastructure bill passes the House, I don't know if they will get enough to widen across the whole state but hopefully they will widen some sections with that money.

In my opinion, they should probably start at Wentzville and work their way westward. Hopefully they can do some of the trickier sections (like the railroad bridge between exits 208 and 209) first.

Wentzville is one of the tougher sections to widen I-70 for six lanes. A railroad viaduct would need to be rebuilt and there are some frontage roads built right up to the interstate. Wentzville and Columbia may be the last sections of I-70 widened from four lanes to six. It would be better and easier to just start six-laning the rest of I-70 in spurts starting from the new bridge and east from KC and wait for the voter demand to widen the remainder.

https://www.modot.org/i-70-improvements-wentzville-parkway-route-z
It states that construction will tentatively start on that stretch in Wentzville in Fall 2023.

[mvak36]

Video with some more details on the overall project:

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/modot-outlines-rocheport-bridge-plans/article_a495d396-fae1-11eb-bc43-6bbe10ee8137.html

After this it should be fairly simply to widen the rest of the interstate to 6 lanes between STL and KC, no?

Assuming the infrastructure bill passes the House, I don't know if they will get enough to widen across the whole state but hopefully they will widen some sections with that money.

In my opinion, they should probably start at Wentzville and work their way westward. Hopefully they can do some of the trickier sections (like the railroad bridge between exits 208 and 209) first.

Wentzville is one of the tougher sections to widen I-70 for six lanes. A railroad viaduct would need to be rebuilt and there are some frontage roads built right up to the interstate. Wentzville and Columbia may be the last sections of I-70 widened from four lanes to six. It would be better and easier to just start six-laning the rest of I-70 in spurts starting from the new bridge and east from KC and wait for the voter demand to widen the remainder.

https://www.modot.org/i-70-improvements-wentzville-parkway-route-z
It states that construction will tentatively start on that stretch in Wentzville in Fall 2023.

That's good to hear. Hopefully they can widen a few more sections of 70 with the infrastructure bill money.

[skluth]

Video with some more details on the overall project:

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/modot-outlines-rocheport-bridge-plans/article_a495d396-fae1-11eb-bc43-6bbe10ee8137.html

After this it should be fairly simply to widen the rest of the interstate to 6 lanes between STL and KC, no?

Assuming the infrastructure bill passes the House, I don't know if they will get enough to widen across the whole state but hopefully they will widen some sections with that money.

In my opinion, they should probably start at Wentzville and work their way westward. Hopefully they can do some of the trickier sections (like the railroad bridge between exits 208 and 209) first.

Wentzville is one of the tougher sections to widen I-70 for six lanes. A railroad viaduct would need to be rebuilt and there are some frontage roads built right up to the interstate. Wentzville and Columbia may be the last sections of I-70 widened from four lanes to six. It would be better and easier to just start six-laning the rest of I-70 in spurts starting from the new bridge and east from KC and wait for the voter demand to widen the remainder.

https://www.modot.org/i-70-improvements-wentzville-parkway-route-z
It states that construction will tentatively start on that stretch in Wentzville in Fall 2023.

Thanks for the info. That at least takes care of the railroad viaduct. Additional lanes west of Wentzville Parkway would probably need to be added in the median with a Jersey barrier down the middle because of the adjacent frontage roads. Widening I-70 through Columbia will still be a bear though.

[Plutonic Panda]

Groundbreaking today:

https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/modot-ceremony-will-kickoff-construction-on-the-rocheport-bridge/article_0735efca-2ad7-11ec-9de2-ff3d7f2513f5.html?fbclid=IwAR0Q0QxaSq94Lb7Me24n3dEVcHUvWso-Vw9XmgeJJOKq1Pnqp0Mi0rRjqDA

[roadman65]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li86riu-BTE

Saw this video rendering the new crossing from MODOT.

They also have on their official webpage MoDOT.org/rocheportbridge information regarding open houses on answering questions and such.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/wk6kA2PVUmMr2vuF6
GSV captures the girders for the new bridge set on barges. I'm guessing the beams were floated to the location.

https://goo.gl/maps/RyK2KJ2m8dYRw79KA
The new bridge seen slightly higher than the existing.

[ilpt4u]

https://youtu.be/JK2DiF0IRYo

MoDOT Central has a YT channel where they do monthly updates on the project. The link above is the April update, posted the 28th

[ilpt4u]

https://youtu.be/rVQRl8vDzTU

June 2023 Construction update:

Westbound traffic is on the new WB bridge. Eastbound traffic is expected to be switched onto the new WB traffic July 6th or thereabouts

Then demolition can begin on the old bridge so the new EB bridge can be constructed at that location

The Route BB/Roby Farm Rd overpass of I-70 has been demolished with the replacement coming in 3-4 months, per the director in the video

[abqtraveler]

Then demolition can begin on the old bridge so the new EB bridge can be constructed at that location

Has MoDOT announced if the old bridge will be imploded or dismantled during demolition?

[skluth]

I-70 traffic on Rocheport Bridge to be redirected Thursday evening

July 6, 2023 7:15 AM
Published July 6, 2023 5:44 AM
ROCHEPORT, Mo (KMIZ)

Beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, MoDOT will begin to redirect traffic heading eastbound on the Rocheport Bridge to the new bridge.

Workers will narrow eastbound traffic to one lane and redirect it to the new bridge, with two westbound lanes and two eastbound lanes. MoDOT says by midnight, all eastbound traffic is expected to use the new bridge.

According to MoDOT the Rocheport Bridge carries 34,000 vehicles and over 8,000 commercial vehicles daily.

The redirection of traffic marks the start of the next phase of the project which entails demolition of the old Rocheport Bridge and construction of the new eastbound bridge.  <-- For those who asked

As the shift occurs, MoDOT is asking drivers to pay attention, obey all traffic signs and to move over while in the work zones.

Link in headline

[abqtraveler]

So here it is...the old truss bridge that carried I-70 over the Missouri River at Rocheport will be imploded in September.

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/modot-plans-for-september-demolition-of-old-bridge-at-rocheport/article_d8bbb4c4-2325-11ee-ae93-dfd8f1035797.html

[will_e_777]

the new bridge doesn't have any type of special design or anything?  it's just a standard concrete and steel beam bridge?

[ilpt4u]

the new bridge doesn't have any type of special design or anything?  it's just a standard concrete and steel beam bridge?

The shipping/barge channel under the new bridges is wider than the current. Is that not special enough?

[SteveG1988]

the new bridge doesn't have any type of special design or anything?  it's just a standard concrete and steel beam bridge?

The shipping/barge channel under the new bridges is wider than the current. Is that not special enough?

Nope, it needs to be made of steel beams that form triangles above the roadway. Truss Bridges are cool, but...this location probably would warrant something a little more basic going forward. It looks like a spot that might have an issue with ice forming on anything above the roadway due to the valley.

[fhmiii]

the new bridge doesn't have any type of special design or anything?  it's just a standard concrete and steel beam bridge?

The shipping/barge channel under the new bridges is wider than the current. Is that not special enough?

Nope, it needs to be made of steel beams that form triangles above the roadway. Truss Bridges are cool, but...this location probably would warrant something a little more basic going forward. It looks like a spot that might have an issue with ice forming on anything above the roadway due to the valley.

I agree that standard steel beam and concrete bridges are boring, but let's be honest:  This bridge is in the middle of nowhere (relatively speaking).  It doesn't need to look cool.  And yes, I'd prefer it to be more visually interesting.

What bothers me is when these types of bridges replace stylistic bridges in cities, such as the Buck O'Neil Bridge (formerly the Broadway Bridge) in Kansas City, which had a triple-arched truss structure and was part of the city's skyline when looking at it from the North, especially when viewed from the downtown airport.  The new bridge is taller but it's just concrete and painted steel beams with no visually interesting structure.  The Heart of America Bridge, a mile to its east and which was a replacement for the upper deck of the ASB Bridge, is also visually uninteresting.

At least the Christopher S Bond Bridge is cable-stayed.  It replaced the suspension-based Paseo Bridge.

[abqtraveler]

the new bridge doesn't have any type of special design or anything?  it's just a standard concrete and steel beam bridge?

The shipping/barge channel under the new bridges is wider than the current. Is that not special enough?

Nope, it needs to be made of steel beams that form triangles above the roadway. Truss Bridges are cool, but...this location probably would warrant something a little more basic going forward. It looks like a spot that might have an issue with ice forming on anything above the roadway due to the valley.

There are a couple of reasons why the new bridge is a continuous girder bridge, and why we've been getting away from truss designs in new bridge construction more broadly. First, truss bridges are considered "fracture critical," meaning they lack any sort of structural redundancy. "Fracture critical" means that if one element of the bridge fails, the entire bridge will likely come down. The 2007 collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis was a classic example that demonstrates the "fracture critical" nature of truss bridges, and why new bridges are typically not designed as such.

Secondly, a through-truss design in particular, creates a limit to the size of a load that can be carried over the bridge, meaning that over-dimension (width and height) loads could not use the bridge and would be subject to a potentially-long detour to a suitable crossing that could accommodate the load's dimensions.

And so you end up with a design that can accommodate over-dimension loads and has built in redundancy for greater structural integrity.

[JREwing78]

Google Maps Street View has imagery from the new bridge as of last month:
https://goo.gl/maps/Q67KCPQpbWteyaLy5

[ozarkman417]

The old Rocheport bridge is expected to be demolished around 7:30 AM tomorrow, September 10th. The demolition will be livestreamed here. I-70 in that area will be closed from around 7-9 AM, with the KATY trail being closed until an all clear is called.

https://www.modot.org/node/34563

Edit: A nearby winery, for which the bridge can be viewed from, will be hosting a watch party where the public can see the demolition! https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw-tjJorWPw/

[abqtraveler]

The implosion of the old I-70 Rocheport Bridge was delayed for more than an hour due to fog. But once the fog cleared, the explosive charges went off and down she went! It was a spectacular sight to see.

https://youtu.be/iig7adpXSpc?si=pDcNF9O2-fgsxVBu

[ozarkman417]

I drove from Springfield to see the implosion of this bridge. 100+ people parked along Route BB to view the implosion from the blufftop at Les Bourgeois. I arrived just before 7, but the implosion did not occur until around 8:50. When the fog disappeared to reveal the bridge, the crowd burst in a round of applause and cheering. Spectators expressed disappointment as they continued to see traffic cross the new bridge, wondering when the old one will finally blow.

I got the whole thing on video. Three minutes prior to the implosion a warning blast was fired. I took it as a cue to roll the tape.

Waverly, Miami, Glasgow, Hermann, Washington, and now Rocheport... all lost over the past 20 years.. Which historic Missouri River crossing will we lose next?

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TibF3aEueJjGYo6J6
The last GSV sweep shows the old bridge approaches being dismantled, yet the cantilever still in tact. It was only in  August as well just a month or about before it's implosion.

[Gnutella]

R.I.P. bridge.