To the excitement of Liberty, Mo. natives, the new dual bridge on Missouri Highway 152 has been completed and reopened as of Aug. 28. Miles Excavating was the lead contractor on this project and managed to have the bridge open to drivers before Labor Day weekend.

To watch a 30-second time-lapse of the bridge from start to finish, click here.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was scheduled for Aug. 26 for the reopening of the bridge, but it had to be canceled due to inclement weather.

The new bridge features what is called a displaced-left interchange, meaning eight lanes on the larger bridge that condenses to three lanes on the smaller bridge for those going to or coming from Interstate-35 North.

The need for this expansion can be seen in the flourishing community of Liberty. The Liberty Public School District is rapidly growing and currently educates over 12,000 students annually. Liberty was ranked seventh out of 100 of the best places to live by CNN Money Magazine in recent years.

When asked how vital the new bridge was, William Jewell College first-year and Liberty local, Carly Mantia, said, “It’s the main highway throughout Liberty, so [roadwork has] really impeded people’s travel. People who either live in Liberty or are passing through had to plan an extra 10 to 15 minutes to account for the bridge being out.”

“Route 152 is a connector for a lot of folks, including those headed to elementary, middle and high schools,” said Markl Johnson, a spokesman for MoDOT in Kansas City.

The bridge replacement is just one part of the 152 Interchange Project, which is now expected to cost $26.2 million instead of the initial estimate of $30 million. The project is being paid for by the Missouri Department of Transportation, the City of Liberty and Kansas City, Mo.

According to the Liberty Public Works Director, Andy Noll, if the project was finished 20 days early, an incentive of $500,000 would be paid to Miles Excavating by MoDOT. Since the project was completed a little more than 20 days early, Miles Excavating will likely get this bonus.

The whole project is not over just quite yet. At the Aug. 26 Liberty City Council meeting, Noll said that the south and northbound lanes of Conistor Street will be closed at the intersection of Kansas Street for about two weeks, starting from Sept. 3. This roadwork includes the installation of gutters and curbs, plus the addition of pavement and sidewalks.

Kansas Street and Missouri 291 are also getting wider streets and additional turn lanes. Furthermore, the south side of Kansas Street and Missouri 291 are adding a multiple-use path for bicycles and pedestrians, which will stretch across the new 152 bridge. The majority of the Kansas Street construction will be done by the end of 2019, but more work on Highway 291 and Kansas Street will continue until August 2020. However, Noll is confident that roadwork will be finished before August 2020.

Likewise, new pavement is being laid down on the on and off ramps at the junction of I-35 and Kansas Street, and is expected to be done Sept. 15.

For those students who plan to attend a concert at the Sprint Center or who wish to satisfy their sweet tooth at Insomnia Cookies, take Route 291 S and then cut over to MO-210 W to best avoid the roadwork on and around I-35,

Additionally, crews will be milling and paving on Mill Street. This is to be completed by Sept. 11.

The City of Liberty, Mo. Government recently posted on Facebook, “We appreciate everyone’s patience as this project continues. Keep an eye out for the crews who are continuing to work.”

As a friendly reminder, please wear your seatbelt, put your phone down and use caution when driving in work zones.

As most of you have probably noticed by now, construction work has begun on Route 152 and I-35 Interchange. If you thought the traffic on Kansas Street couldn’t get any worse, think again. Lane closures have begun, causing large backups and delays on Kansas Street.

Here is a brief overview of everything you need to know about the changes coming to the 152 Interchange, how long it is going to take and how it will affect students and faculty here at William Jewell College.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) began work towards improving the Route 152 and I-35 Interchange back in early March, but lane closures on both I-35 and Route 152 began in the last few weeks. While this will cause extra traffic and inconvenient delays, especially on Route 152, this project will improve development, efficiency and traffic safety in the long run, according to MoDOT.

A simulation of what the interchange will look like can be found here, but essentially, MoDOT will work on widening the street, adding turn lanes, repairing the bridge and adding bike lanes.

“The project will also add a multiple-use path along the south side of Route 152 and Kansas Street which will extend across the I-35 bridge,” states MoDOT’s website for the project.

All of this work is estimated to cost about $30 million and is being paid for by MoDOT, the City of Liberty and Kansas City, Missouri.

Anyone who has driven down Kansas Street or Route 152, especially during rush hour, has a pretty good understanding of the problems, and MoDOT is aware of that as well. Bumper-to-bumper traffic, backed up turn lanes and overall unsafe driving conditions are common on Route 152.

“The Route 152 bridge really needs to be replaced – it’s reached the end of its life expectancy,” said Markl Johnson, a spokesman for MoDOT.

The goal of this project is to fix all of these problems.

“[These improvements will] create a safe, efficient, environmentally sound, and economical transportation facility that meets the needs of the area,” said MoDOT on their website.

MoDOT predicts that a more efficient and safe main road in Liberty could potentially do wonders for the development of the city, as well as the safety of the drivers.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done to achieve these goals, and MoDOT suspects that the project won’t be completed until August 2020 – about a year and a half from now. While there will be lane closures on Kansas Street and I-35 for most of that time, the bridge going over I-35 will only be closed for a span of four months, starting in May and ending in August. Luckily for Jewell students, most of that closure will take place over summer vacation, so it shouldn’t cause too many problems.

However, the lane closures continuing into next year will have a tremendous impact on students, as Route 152 and the I-35 Interchange are critical junctions for the city of Liberty. For students who use Route 152 to get to work or other activities, they should plan to leave earlier than usual in order to get to their destinations on time. It is also important to drive with extra caution in that area.

There are several possible ways to avoid this construction. MoDOT has detour maps for traveling westbound and eastbound on Route 152, likely for when the bridge is closed, but there are other ways to avoid the annoying lane closures, traffic and construction if you want.

If you want to get on I-35, I would recommend taking North Lightburne Street past Liberty Hospital to I-35. If you are heading northbound on I-35 on your way to Jewell, you could also go past the Route 152 exit to exit 20, which will put you on North Lightburne Street. Using Route 291 is another possible way to avoid all of the traffic and construction.

For anyone who has to drive down Route 152 on a regular basis, this next year and a half could potentially feel like an eternity. The traffic is going to be worse than usual, as drivers will have to deal with closed lanes and construction. However, MoDOT predicts that the temporary increase in traffic will be worth it.

“This project will accommodate development, and most importantly, improve traffic safety,” according to MoDOT.

For most people, driving on Kansas Street has often been a nightmare. By the fall of next year, that could change.