FESTUS, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will close Central Avenue in Festus under Interstate 55 in Festus from 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 20, for bridge demolition work.

The closure is part of the ongoing I-55 Corridor Upgrades project in Jefferson County. Traffic on northbound I-55 has been shifted onto a new bridge over Central Avenue, allowing crews to demolish the old northbound bridge structure. Despite the work, all lanes of I-55 will remain open during the weekend closure.

Detours will be posted, and MoDOT advises drivers to follow signed routes. All work is weather permitting.

The Central Avenue bridge demolition follows the recent removal of two other northbound I-55 bridges over U.S. Route 67 and North 3rd Street. All three structures are being replaced with new bridges as part of the broader improvement effort.

For more details on detours and project updates, motorists can visit the I-55 Corridor Upgrades project website. For real-time traffic and travel information, visit MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at traveler.modot.org/map.

Paul Barnard Editor

Paul Barnard is the editor of the Twin City News. Barnard Graduated from Norwich University, America's oldest private military college, with a B.S. in Communications and Media Technology. There he studied journalism and marketing. For years after, Barnard was in law enforcement and gained experience in the Special Investigations Unit and publishing all the department's press releases. As Barnard's family grew, he moved on to start Twin City News.

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