Briefing to be Nov. 26 on Route 8 bridge work

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will hold a public briefing later this month to discuss plans to replace the State Route 8 bridge over Dry Fork Creek south of St. James.

Staff Reports

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will hold a public briefing later this month to discuss plans to replace the State Route 8 bridge over Dry Fork Creek south of St. James.The public briefing will be held Tuesday, Nov. 26, from 4-6 p.m. at the St. James Elementary School cafeteria at 314 S. Jefferson St. in St. James.No formal presentation will be made. The public may attend the meeting at any time between the designated meeting hours to speak with staff from MoDOT. Various project displays will be available at the meeting, and the public is encouraged to ask questions and provide input. All comments will be taken into consideration and made a part of the project file. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2014 on replacing the Route 8 bridge.The project was approved in the 2014-18 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in July during its meeting in Rolla.The total estimated cost of the Route 8 bridge project is $1,597,000 and a contract for this work is expected to be awarded in the spring of 2014, according to the STIP.As part of an agreement between the Phelps County Commission and the state highways commission, a section of Zion Hill Road (County Road 3410) south of St. James will get a new surface since it’s expected to be used as a detour around the bridge closure.In August, the Phelps County Commission signed off on the agreement, which calls for MoDOT to temporarily take over and put a new surface, likely using hot-mix asphalt, on the county road between State Routes BB and F, a section totaling less than 3 miles, during the bridge closure.The agreement states that the county must be notified two weeks before work begins on Zion Hill Road.After the Route 8 project is complete, the county will take back over maintenance of the improved Zion Hill Road.Displays and project information presented at the public meeting will be available at www.modot.org/central the day after the meeting. For more information, call toll free 1-888-275-6636.