The Missouri Department of Transportation this week approved a contract to replace two Missouri 96 (aka Route 66) bridges on the northeast side of Carthage.
The road will reopen no later than Sept. 15, but the $6.2 million contract with Clarkson Construction Co. in Kansas City contains incentives if it finishes the job quicker.
Given that, it’s not outside the realm of possibility Missouri 96 would reopen by late summer.
MoDOT accelerated the timetable to replace the bridges after public hearings in Carthage about the projects. The 1934 overpass unexpectedly closed in early September 2016 after an inspection showed serious deterioration. The state didn’t expect to close it until spring 2017.
The contract also requires signs on westbound Missouri 96 pointing to the Route 66 detour of North Garrison Street, which is an old alignment of Route 66. This will make reduce confusion for Route 66 travelers.
Residents and Route 66 business owners attended meetings in July about the closing of the bridge and gave the agency advice on how to deal with the situation — including the Route 66 detour. MoDOT took criticism for another bridge project in 2012 that detoured Route 66 tourists away from much of the Mother Road in Carthage.
(Hat tip to David Backlin and Ron Hart; image of the of the Missouri 96 railroad overpass in Carthage courtesy of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce)