MoDOT celebrates re-opening of Mo. 79 with new bridge

HANNIBAL, Mo. – Officials from the City of Hannibal and the Missouri Department of Transportation celebrated the re-opening of the Missouri 79 bridge on the city’s south side.

The $12.4 million project had been in the works for five years and opened to traffic on October 28. The bridge, which spans Bear Creek and averages about 6,000 vehicles a day, is a primary connector for industry, tourists and residents and replaces the previous bridge that was built in 1966. The new bridge is expected to last about 75 years.

The new design includes many improvements over the previous viaduct including a flatter grade, which allows for shorter length of the structure by nearly 200 feet and includes a new 10-foot wide shared use path for use by pedestrians and cyclists.

MoDOT officials said the project required significant coordination with the City of Hannibal, Emergency Services, area businesses and others during the planning process The close proximity to the historical Admiral Coontz Armory, spring/summer flooding commonly experienced in the area and material availability were some of the circumstances that had to planned for and addressed for the demolition of the existing bridge and construction of the new bridge.

Over the past five years, MoDOT’s Northeast District has completed 116 bridge projects through the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program with another 44 bridges planned as projects in the Northeast District over the next five years. The Northeast District has completed $519 Million worth of projects over the past 10 years