STL Today: I-70 at Blanchette Bridge to close for another blast

(By: Margaret Gillerman)

The Missouri Department of Transportation will close Interstate 70 for an hour on Tuesday morning to blast the remaining two sections of the truss of the westbound Blanchette Bridge.

Beginning at 10 a.m., all eastbound I-70 traffic will be detoured off the highway at Route 94 and directed to Route 364. All westbound I-70 traffic will be detoured off the highway at Interstate 270.

As a precaution, MoDot is urging motorists to avoid the bridge that crosses the Missouri River from 9 to 11 a.m.

Once the area is secured, the bridge will be blasted and dropped into the river. Crews will remove it in pieces.

Crews also will then have to sweep the eastbound I-70 bridge to clear any debris before the highway can be reopened to traffic.

The blast is part of the project to rebuild the bridge. The work is expected to continue until next fall. (Margaret Gillerman)