KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Friday afternoon, drivers will again be able to cross the Kansas River on the 18th Street Bridge. The Kansas Department of Transportation plans to reopen the bridge by noon.
KDOT closed the bridge in April to do repair work. The agency said the $7 million project added more than 10 years to the life of the bridge and will prevent deterioration.
The bridge takes 18th Street Expressway, also known as US 69 in this area, across the Kansas River in Wyandotte County.
As part of the project, crews repaired 92 support beams, removed 30,000 rivets, drilled 25,000 holes and installed 60,000 bolts. The contractor even had to special order certain steel structures to fit the bridge.
KDOT said had it kept even just one lane open on the bridge during construction, the project would have taken more than a year to complete instead of the six months.
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