By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Recent damage to the Gene Field Road Bridge in St. Joseph has forced the Missouri Department of Transportation to close the bridge for an extensive amount of time.
MoDOT District Engineer Austin Hibler says the bridge had been set to be replaced due to its condition, but a truck hauling an oversized load on I-29 hit the bridge supports, causing more damage
“This bridge has four girders that support the deck, and during the incident one of the four girders was damaged and is essentially not supporting the deck like it was intended to,” Hibler tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “So, you have about 25% of the deck there that is unsupported from its original design.”
The Missouri Department of Transportation moved up a bridge replacement project from next fall to early next spring, but construction will not begin until at least summer.
Hibler says that means construction won’t be able to begin at least until summer.
“Our goal would be completed by the fall, late fall early winter of 2026, depending on the contractors schedule,” Hibler explains.
Hibler says, currently, design work on the bridge is underway.
“It takes a lot of preliminary data and information to get the design correct, so that’s all being taken care of right now, in hopes that we can get the design out for a letting in March or April of 2026,” Hibler says. “And then a contractor, or multiple contractors, will look at it and bid on it.”
There is a public listening session scheduled for December 17th at 4pm for residents to speak with MoDOT officials about the bridge.
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