Crews working on the new Mississippi River Bridge have gotten the $640 million project back on track.
Flooding meant that for the months of May, June, and July, it wasn't safe for crews to be working below the water line, says project manager Greg Horn. That wiped out 81 construction days.
"Since that time our contractor has worked a ten-hour day shift, a ten-hour night shift, six days a week, and they’re basically back on schedule." says Horn. The bridge, which will carry Interstate 70 across the Mississippi River, is expected to open in January 2014.
A floodwall on the Missouri side and a levee on the Illinois side have made it tough to see most of the work, Horn says, but "this summer, you'll be able to see the towers coming out of of the water, and the big cranes working on that."
And motorists on the Missouri side will see MoDOT crews start working on the Interstate 70 interchange, but most of the projects can be completed during non-rush hours.
Want to see pictures of the construction? Click on the image above for a slideshow of the work currently underway.
