I‐470 Bridge Rehabilitation Designs

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) required 15 bridges to be repaired along the I-470 corridor from Blue Ridge Boulevard to I-70 in Jackson County. These bridges needed extensive rehabilitation due to their age and condition. Lochner provided design services to complete all roadway and bridge tasks on this corridor.

During preliminary design, the Lochner team identified and quantified the needed repairs, coordinated traffic phasing needs with other scheduled projects in the area, and determined how to fit the needed lanes of traffic on the bridges. These steps were particularly important for the Cedar Creek and Little Blue River bridges. The work on these bridges also required U.S. Army Corps of Engineer permits, so Lochner provided MoDOT with the information to obtain the permits. Additionally, two of the 15 bridges were over active Kansas City Southern railroad
tracks, which required a construction clearance diagram on the plans and a special provision for the agreement between MoDOT and the railroad.

Lochner’s design re-decked two of the 15 bridges. The remaining 13 bridges needed typical repairs that included deck repairs, wearing surface replacements, and expansion joint replacements. Substructure repairs were needed for all 15 bridges. Guardrail adjustments and ditch protections were added to the bridges where needed. Under an accelerated schedule, Lochner completed the preliminary and final design plans in three months.

This highly traveled interstate has an average daily traffic count of 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles, so keeping traffic flowing during construction is a must. Lochner maintained two lanes of through traffic in each direction where possible. Additionally, Lochner provided support during construction to answer questions, evaluate value engineering proposals, and made design changes when needed.