The following is a brief of the story. For the full version, see the Tuesday, June 30 print edition of the BDN.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has announced an estimated mid-September completion date of the Missouri River Bridge at Glasgow. MoDOT also guarantees the ferry service will continue operation until the bridge is open to traffic; and the service will be free of charge to all motorists beginning Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The bridge was closed to traffic on Aug. 4, 2008 for partial reconstruction, and was scheduled to reopen approximately one year after the closure. The $14.8 million contract included monetary incentives if the bridge opened in less than 365 days, and penalties if the project extended past the Aug. 3, 2009 completion date.

This spring, frequent rains and high water levels in the Missouri River have delayed the erection of the steel girders across the river, causing the loss of critical working days.

It became evident earlier this month that the project would be delayed from the high water levels, but at that time it was too early to know how many days the contractor would need to finish the project. Jensen Construction has now provided MoDOT with an updated schedule that shows an estimated completion date of Sept. 15.