Demolition of three spans of the old Interstate 30 bridge over the Red River in southwest Arkansas will require brief shutdowns of Interstate 30 and U.S. 67 early Monday, the Arkansas Department of Transportation said.
The contractor, Jensen Construction Inc. of Des Moines, Iowa, plans to close all eastbound and westbound lanes of both roads in the vicinity of the bridge straddling Miller and Hempstead counties beginning at 6:30 a.m., weather permitting, for a blasting operation designed to remove steel beams.
I-30 westbound will be closed at the exit for Fulton in Hempstead County, the department said. Eastbound traffic on the interstate will be stopped at a location 2 miles west of that location, identified as Mile Marker 16, in Miller County.
Eastbound U.S. 67 traffic will be stopped just west of the Boll Weevil convenience store. Westbound traffic on the highway won't be able to proceed past the intersection of U.S. 67 and Arkansas 355 near Suny's Food Mart & Deli in Fulton.
Both the interstate and the highway in the vicinity of the old bridge are within the blast zone, said Danny Straessle, the agency spokesman.
The closures should last for approximately 10 minutes to 15 minutes to complete the detonation, the department said.
The blasting is part of a $37.2 million project to replace the I-30 bridge over the Red River. Jensen was awarded the contract in June 2015. The project should be finished in June.
Metro on 04/22/2018