The Highway 47 bridge over the Missouri River in now about 50 percent complete, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) official.Area Engineer Judy Wagner said she is pleased with the progress on the bridge, stating the milestone is “huge” in working to the December 2018 completion date.Alberici Construction Inc. began work on the $63 million bridge project in August 2016 after the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded the contract.Work had been slated to end Nov. 1, 2018, but the revised completion date is mid-December. In June, Alberici requested additional time to complete the project due to setbacks during flooding.The contractor was not on site Tuesday due to extreme cold. The crew may be off the entire week, Wagner added.Temperatures through Friday are not predicted to reach more than 20 degrees.According to Wagner, it could be dangerous for crews to work those temperatures and the equipment may not function efficiently.Wagner noted that taking the week off should not push back the completion deadline.“Not if it is just a week,” she said. “It is not productive to be out there this cold.”She said there are some crews still working, including workers building the retaining wall on the south side of the bridge.Wagner added there are ice chunks flowing down the Missouri River but it is not frozen.Bridge statusThe project involves building a new 2,560-foot-long bridge just to the west — upstream — from the existing span, which was completed in 1936.The new structure is designed with two 12-foot driving lanes, two 10-foot shoulders and a 10-foot-wide biking/walking path along the west side. An overlook, where walkers and bikers can stop and view the river and cityscape, will be at the center bridge pier.The new bridge path will connect to a biking/walking path along Highway 47, north of the river, which ties into the state’s Katy Trail, one of the longest continuous bicycle trails in the United States.According to Wagner, there are an average of 50 to 60 workers on the bridge during construction hours.That number will increase to up to 200 after the bridge deck is poured and carpenters, ironworkers and others will be at the site at the same time.Crews will continue to work through the winter months before major projects, including pouring the bridge deck, can begin early this year.Wagner noted that scaffolding for the first of six girders is being constructed now, and a crash wall is being erected.She said that the bridge is earthquake proof for this region and traffic from the current bridge will not cause any vibrations during construction.Highway 47 Bridge