After sustaining significant damage during heavy flooding late last December and early last January, the bridge on Highway RA over the Big Piney River at Baptist Camp is scheduled for repairs in the coming months.
Cass Township board president Jack Watson said that after a lengthy process, FEMA funds had been secured to fix an upstream side guardrail and concrete decking, and damage to the underside of the west side of the bridge.
The cost will be $45,366, with Cass Township being reimbursed 75-percent by FEMA. Watson said work is set to begin the week of Jan. 16 and is scheduled to be done by March 31.
After bids were examined, the project was awarded to Granger Dirtworks of Neosho. Watson said local residents should expect the bridge to close for at least three weeks during the work period, but perhaps longer.
“They reserve the right to close it the entire time, but I told them I would prefer not,” Watson said. “Then they said we should allow them at least three weeks of closure time.
“So it will be closed for three weeks to the duration; I have no control over that.”
The bridge opened for traffic in early 2012 and was constructed when an older bridge was deemed unsafe.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened,” Watson said, “but that was a big flood.”
For more information, call Watson at 417-217-0411.