Sater: Route 248 Closed Feb. 28 through April 8 To Replace Dry Creek Bridge West of Galen

MoDOT, District 8, Springfield -- The Route 248 bridge over Dry Creek west of Galena is scheduled to be CLOSED Monday, Feb. 28, and a new bridge built, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.

The new bridge will be built and open to traffic within 40 days -- by April 8.

The bridge project on Route 248 in Stone County is part of MoDOT's Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement program that will replace or repair 802 bridges across Missouri by the end of 2013.

A detour will be signed along state highways -- Route 173, Route 413/265 and Stone County Route D. State highway traffic normally is not detoured onto county-maintained roads.

However, local drivers familiar with the area will be able to use county roads for a shorter route around the closed bridge.

MoDOT and contractors have alerted law enforcement, fire and ambulance agencies so they can plan how to respond to emergency calls with the bridge closed. The school district and post office also have been notified so they can adjust bus routes and mail carrier routes.

The Route 248 bridge over Dry Creek, about five miles west of Route 413/265 at Galena, was built in 1930.

The bridge will be replaced by a new concrete slab structure with pre-cast concrete panels. The new bridge will be 110 feet long by 29 feet wide. The driving lanes on the new bridge will be about 12 feet wide.

The prime contractor on the Route 248 bridge in Stone County is KTU Constructors, a group of bridge design and construction companies. The group is replacing 554 bridge of the 802-bridge total in the Safe & Sound program for $487 million.

APAC-Missouri is a subcontractor that will build the Route 248 bridge over Dry Creek.

As part of the Safe & Sound program, the road is closed where each bridge is being replaced or repaired. Closing the road enables workers to do the bridge project quicker, safer and cheaper.

Information on the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program statewide can be found on MoDOT's web site -- www.modot.org.

For information on 29 bridges being replaced in 10 counties in the Springfield region in 2011, check www.modot.org/springfield.

(For more information, call MoDOT in Springfield toll-free at 888-275-6636 or 417-895-7600. Or visit www.modot.org/springfield)