JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A two-year project rehabilitating multiple bridges in Jefferson City is set to get underway in early May, adding a little traffic to the trip to Lake of the Ozarks for many Midwesterners, for the next couple of summers.
Construction crews plan to start with making minor substructure repairs and applying a concrete overlay to U.S. Route 54 over Linden Drive and Stadium Boulevard. Significant delays are anticipated, particularly during peak travel hours, and motorists are encouraged to plan ahead.
Beginning May 5, Hwy 54 between Business Route 50 (Missouri Boulevard) and Stadium Boulevard will narrow to one lane in each direction in a head-to-head configuration. An 11-foot width restriction and speed reductions as low as 35 mph will be in place through the work zone. This traffic pattern may remain in place through mid-October, though incentives have been included in the contract for an earlier completion.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has contracted with E & C Bridge, LLC to perform deck repairs and overlays on 11 bridges and to remove one no-longer-used bridge. Traffic control plans include single-lane closures, narrowing traffic in both directions to one lane, ramp closures, and full road closures, dependent on location. All work in this multi-bridge project is expected to be complete by Dec. 1, 2026.
All work is weather dependent, and schedules are subject to change.
To reduce congestion, drivers are encouraged to use both lanes to the point where one lane closes, then use a zipper merge – alternating vehicles merging to a single lane of traffic. Research shows traffic moves more smoothly when motorists use both lanes until reaching the defined merge area and then alternate merging every other vehicle in "zipper" fashion into the open lane.
By using both full lanes of traffic until the merge point, you reduce the difference in speed between the two lanes and the length of backups is reduced 40-50 percent.Â
MoDOT asks all motorists to buckle up, put the phone down, obey all traffic signs, and slow down and move over in work zones.
