The closure of the Chariton County Route D bridge over Clark Branch, located approximately 1 mile east of Missouri Route 5, has been rescheduled for Monday, April 24.

The Clark Branch Bridge, along with the East Fork of Bee Branch Bridge, located 0.5 miles west of Route 129 are scheduled to be replaced under the FARM (Fixing Access to Rural Missouri) Bridge Program.

Both bridges were originally scheduled to close today, Monday, April 10, but only the East Fork of Bee Branch Bridge was closed as planned. Both bridges are expected to remain closed though mid-September.

“We have 31 weight-restricted, poor condition bridges in northern Missouri to replace under this federally-funded program,” stated Missouri Department of Transportation Project Director Jeff Gander. Lehman-Wilson was awarded the design-build contract by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission at its meeting in May 2022 to replace the bridges.

There is no posted detour on most of these projects. The Clark Branch Bridge was built in 1938 and has a traffic volume of approximately 200 vehicles per day. The East Fork of Bee Branch Bridge was built in 1935 and has a traffic volume of approximately 150 vehicles per day.

The FARM Bridge Program will replace deficient bridges on low-volume routes that are:
-Weight-restricted
-In poor condition
-On timber pile
-One-lane but carry two-way traffic

The full list of bridges to be replaced can be found on the FARM Bridge program web page.