SPRINGFIELD, MO (AP) An old, one-lane wooden-decked bridge in southwest Missouri will be torn down today to be replaced by a sturdier one.

Christian County will replace the steel truss 97-year-old Finley River, Riverdale Bridge with a concrete bridge that can support ambulances, school buses and other large vehicles that are too heavy to cross the current structure.

Viebrock Construction and Equipment will tear down and replace the structure, a job that is expected to take until spring.

Ralph Viebrock, co-owner of the company, said it wouldn’t take long to remove the old bridge.

"It’ll come down in two pieces," Viebrock said. "It’ll probably come down Monday or Tuesday."

The bridge is located by a mill that flourished in the 1800s.

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