Work is progressing “very well” on the Highway 47 bridge over the Missouri River at Washington, but more time than originally planned may be needed to complete the $63 million project.The contractor for the Highway 47 bridge at Washington is seeking additional time to complete the project due to setbacks during spring flooding.Judy Wagner, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) area engineer, last week told the Washington Area Highway and Transportation Committee the time line for work by Alberici Constructors Inc. has been shifted due to the rains in late April and into May.“They are not quite on schedule but they aren’t really off schedule,” Wagner said.She explained the contract between Alberici and MoDOT stipulates that an extension could be granted in the event of major flooding.Alberici was delayed by about two weeks due to flooding after nearly 11 inches of rain fell between April 26 and May 5.Wagner noted that MoDOT will continue to meet with the contractor to develop an updated completion date for the bridge.The project began in August 2016 and is slated to open in the fall of 2018.Bridge ProgressAccording to Wagner, crews recently poured the drill shafts for pier 7 of the bridge. The drill shafts are circle footings that go into the rock of the riverbed. There are three drill shafts at each pier.For pier 7, the concrete drill shafts were poured from the current bridge. Drill shafts for piers 5 and 6 will be poured from the ground. Wagner added that Alberici has started on bent 8, and the contractor has been given approval by Union Pacific Railroad to work on bent 9. Bents are the bridge foundations that are constructed on land, versus piers which will be constructed in the river.The final bent, 10, is located on the south side of the Missouri River.“We have almost started on every pier and every bent,” Wagner said. No Weight LimitWhen asked the weight limit of the bridge by transportation committee member Bill Miller Sr., Wagner explained that no weight limits will be set on trucks carrying cargo that does not require special permitting.Wagner added that loads that require permits will be allowed on the bridge, but guidelines will be given on a case-by-case basis depending on the load size. She said those guidelines include the speed of the vehicles transporting cargo, as well as if the load must be transported in the center of the bridge.EarthquakeMiller also asked if the bridge is earthquake proof.Wagner noted that the bridge is built to the standards based on the seismic zone of this area.Committee member Ray Frankenberg explained that bridges are built to minimize fatalities; however, there still would be some structural damage caused by a quake.“It would still get cracks and damages that would need to be repaired,” he said. Project BackgroundAlberici crews began work on the project in mid-August 2016 after the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded the contract.The 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, is proposed 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.Washington Bridge