Governor Mike Parson Talking About Bridges Today in Joplin

Missouri Governor Mike Parson held a press conference in Friday at a deteriorating overpass on Joplin’s busiest road.

Parson says that the bridge on Rangeline road, over the KC railroad, is 62 years old and it only had a life span of 50 when it was originally built in 1957. The Rangeline road overpass was down graded to “poor condition” in 2017 and without rehabilitation or replacement, the bridge would require load restrictions within 5 years. With 5 percent of the Rangeline Road overpasses 28,000 vehicles each day being commercial vehicles and trucks, the load restrictions would disrupt school bus routes and the trucking industry in Joplin. The overpass is also lacking a walking path making foot transportation dangerous.

Missouri has 10,385 bridges (the sixth most in the country) and 922 are in poor condition and 1,194 additional state bridges have a weight restriction.