Northbound lanes of Mo. 291 bridge closed

The northbound Missouri 291 bridge over the Missouri River in Sugar Creek closed Tuesday afternoon, and northbound travelers can expect to be rerouted until at least next Tuesday.
The Missouri Department of Transportation said a few hours before the closure Tuesday that a routine inspection prompted MoDOT to close the northbound lane. The southbound bridge remains open.
“We’re not calling it an emergency closure,” Steve Porter, a spokesperson with MoDOT, said. “But we are calling it urgent.”
Christopher Redline, assistant district engineer for MoDOT, said at a press conference that inspectors began noticing areas of concern during the annual inspection, specifically on the north bank of the river where the bridge meets the land.
“The lower part of the steel in that area is of the most concern,” Redline said, pointing to several areas where inspectors had marked rusted areas with pink paint.
In some cases, Redline said the half inch steel was rusted all the way through. Inspectors were at the bridge again Tuesday looking at its base and different fittings.
How the bridge will be repaired and how long it will take remain unclear, according to Redline, and preliminary costs have not yet been determined.
“We’re still looking at it, trying to determine what needs done,” he said. “Everything is on the table right now.”
Redline said he anticipates the northbound bridge could be closed for several months. He said he’s hoping that MoDOT will construct a crossover, or temporary bypass, to divert northbound traffic to cross into southbound lanes by next Tuesday.
Porter said MoDOT is acting quickly to award an emergency contract to construct the crossover to the southbound Missouri 291 bridge.
“We’re hoping it doesn’t rain because that could cause issues,” Redline said. “They’re calling for it later this week and into the weekend.”
The last significant repair to the northbound bridge was in 2001, Redline said. 
Redline said the cause is not a surprise.
“It’s the result of salt and other materials used in the winter,” he said. “Steel rusts, but we’re not looking at this as anything abnormal.”
Porter said drivers should avoid northbound M-291 if possible. Drivers will need to find an alternate crossing to go north.
The two closest river crossings are Interstate 435 and Route 13 in Lexington. From the south, take U.S. 24 to I-435 north across the river to Missouri 210 west to M-291.
Or take U.S. 24 to Missouri 13 north to the Lexington River Bridge. The full detour can be viewed on MoDOT’s Web site, www.modot.org/kansascity. 
The bridge, built in 1949, carries approximately 10,144 vehicles daily. Combined with the south-bound lanes, the bridges carry about 20,000 vehicles daily.