Ramp Closures At Blue Ridge Blvd. And Interstate 70

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced via news release that ramp closures as part of the Blue Ridge Boulevard bridge replacement over Interstate 70 will continue for the rest of the month.

The ramp from Blue Ridge Boulevard to Eastbound Interstate 70, as well as the ramp from US-40 to Eastbound Interstate 70 will remain closed through approximately the end of January 2024. Originally they were scheduled to reopen today, Friday, January 12, 2024.

According to the MoDOT website construction was scheduled to begin Monday, May 8, 2023, and the project was scheduled to be wrapped up in mid-November. Interestingly enough, Governor Mike Parson celebrated the completion of the Focus on Bridges Program at Blue Ridge Boulevard over Interstate 70 on December 19, 2023.

While there still may be some tweaking and finishing up when it comes to the Blue Ridge Boulevard bridge replacement over Interstate 70, the bridge reopened to motorists on December 22, 2023. It was the last bridge replaced in Governor Parson's Focus on Bridges Program.

"Infrastructure has been a top priority since day one, and four years ago, we set out to replace 250 of our poorest bridges through the Focus on Bridges program,” Governor  Parson said in MoDOT press release.

“Today, we are proud to celebrate the 250th bridge completed as promised. From St. Louis to Springfield, from the Bootheel to the great Northwest, this program benefited Missourians everywhere. Focus on Bridges is a bold, one-of-a-kind program that leveraged general revenue to make far-reaching improvements to our infrastructure for the first time in generations. While there is more to do, we know we have made a real difference and created a lasting model that will continue to serve Missourians now and into the future."

According to MoDOT the Focus on Bridges Program was made possible through a $50 million appropriation from General Revenu as well as $301 million in bond revenue approved by the Missouri General Assembly in 2019.