Dozens of county residents packed into the Warrenton High School Commons Monday night to review plans for the demolition and construction of the Highway 47 overpass over Interstate 70 in Warrenton Monday evening.

Over the last few weeks representatives with the Missouri Department of Transportation have been finalizing plans regarding the project. Those plans were displayed on a series of displays Monday to alert residents as to the specifics of the plan. Representatives with MoDOT were also on hand to answer questions and explain the exhibits to residents.

Improve I-70 East Project Team Director Kim Trainor said that even though there was a table-top exercise held last week to receive input from area first responders, the plans for the project are unchanged.

Trainor said the demolition of the Highway 47 bridge over I-70 is anticipated to begin at 7 p.m. Friday, March 27, weather permitting. The work to demolish the bridge will occur over 48 hours. During those 48 hours that portion of I-70 will be closed, traffic will be detoured onto the Highway 47 ramps.

Trainor said this is because once they begin the demolition of the bridge it will effectively fall onto the interstate and the debris will need to be broken up and removed from the site.

MoDOT finalized the official start time recently as they were waiting to complete modifications at Wildcat Drive, which will be an important detour during the 134 days the bridge replacement is being completed. Specifically, intersections at Wildcat Drive will be widened to allow truck traffic to be able to turn and to accommodate a u-turn lane.

After the initial demolition, MoDOT will begin constructing the new bridge, which is anticipated to take 134 days. Trainor said the goal is to have the bridge replacement completed before school starts in August.

During this period, those traveling from Highway 47 north heading south will have to exit onto westbound I-70 and will travel west to the Warrenton Boulevard exit and will then follow the roundabouts and detour onto eastbound I-70, taking the Highway 47 exit south. This detour is approximately four miles.

Those heading northbound on Highway 47 will take the exit to eastbound on I-70 and will continue until reaching the Wildcat Drive exit. Drivers will then execute a u-turn before heading westbound on I-70 back to the Highway 47 exit and then continuing north. This detour is approximately 11 miles.

Trainor said the detour routes were designed based upon an analysis of the highest traffic volume in the corridor, which generally occurs in the early evening hours.

Trainor said that while these detours will be the listed, MoDOT is urging drivers if they see a backup on the off-ramps to proceed to the next exit instead of stopping along the interstate.

In addition to the overpass replacement, the commuter lot located across from Jack in the Box on the North Service Road will close down permanently. This is due to other upgrades to be made along the I-70 corridor that will eliminate the space the commuter lot currently occupies.

While the overpass replacement is expected to be completed this summer, related interchange improvements north and south of I-70 will not begin until the spring of 2027. They will continue into 2028 and will be conducted in six different phases.