Traffic is stopped in the westbound lane of Highway 72 over the Whitewater River bridge west of Millersville as construction crews prepare the approach for a temporary bridge. The bridge will be taken out and a new bridge will be built in the same location, MoDOT resident engineer Darius Dowdy said. A temporary steel bridge will be installed within two weeks to bypass the current bridge while it is torn down and replaced. Dowdy said the bridge was determined to require a replacement based on its condition rating following a MoDOT assessment. Work began at the start of this summer and is scheduled to be completed early next summer. The new concrete girder bridge will be the same length as the old bridge, but wider.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com