The last steel girder was placed Sept. 11, marking a major milestone in the construction of the new eastbound Lance Corporal Leon Deraps I-70 Missouri River (Rocheport) Bridge. With the final girder in place, crews will now be able to place cross frames and wind bracing on this final span, and then prepare for pouring the new bridge deck.
In July 2021, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission selected the Lunda Team as the design-build contractor to replace the now-demolished 60-year-old steel truss bridge. The old, single bridge carried two lanes of traffic in each direction and is being replaced with two side-by-side bridges. The new westbound bridge was completed and opened to traffic in July 2023 with both east and westbound traffic shifted onto the new westbound bridge. The old steel truss was removed in September 2023, and construction on the eastbound bridge began immediately afterwards. Each of the new bridges will carry three lanes of traffic, matching up to the goals of the Improve I-70 project to expand Interstate 70 to three lanes, each direction, across the state of Missouri on this vital corridor for the state and the nation.
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at the end of the year once the new eastbound bridge is ready to open to traffic.
All work is weather-permitting, and schedules are subject to change.
For more information, visit modot.org/RocheportBridge.
