Progress on Austin Boulevard railroad overpass continues

Excavators with large hydraulic jackhammers have been brought in to demolish the east half of the Austin Boulevard railroad overpass.

Photo by Gabe Franklin | Daily Mail

Work on the Austin Boulevard railroad overpass is underway. By Thursday, the steel side rails and about one-quarter of the bridge deck had been demolished by crews from Rodmacher Brothers Excavating.

Missouri Department of Transportation Senior Inspector Aaron Rieder said the contractor should finish the demolition of the road deck by the end of the week.

He explained that current plans call for the completion of the re-decking of the east end of the overpass prior to work beginning on the west end. This is due to the Missouri and Northern Arkansas railroad that runs under the west half of the overpass.

On the eastern half, crews are able to use hydraulic jackhammers on excavators to demolish the concrete and rebar bridge decking, letting the debris fall to the ground below. On the western end, the bridge decking will have to be cut into sections and removed by cranes in order to minimize interruption of rail traffic below.

Plans also include work on the bridge abutments at each end of the overpass.

Currently, the project is expected to be concluded in March 2022, but that is subject to change due to the weather or unforeseen circumstances.

Rieder asked that drivers in the area pay attention to the detour signs noting that MoDOT will be adjusting the detour routes to minimize problems.