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Reply to Bridge closures on the Katy Trail
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Dawn Fredrickson, Katy Trail Coordinator on 8/3/2014 12:20:44 PM:
Two bridges are being replaced on the Katy Trail near Providence Boat Ramp (MP 166.2) and at Wilton (MP 157.4). Construction will begin Monday, Aug. 4 and is anticipated to be completed by Friday, Sept. 19. During this time, the trail will be closed from McBaine Trailhead (MP 169.5) to Providence Boat Ramp (MP 165.5) as there is no detour option. For the bridge replacement at Wilton (MP 157.4), a detour will be provided. Use caution and be on the lookout for vehicles since a portion of the detour uses State Route M.

Three additional bridges will be replaced on the Katy Trail this fall, one at MP 105.7 near Rhineland, one at MP 93.5 near Gore and one at milepost 77.4 just east of Marthasville. Construction for these three bridges will begin Friday, Oct. 31 and is anticipated to be completed by Wednesday, Dec. 17. During this time, the trail will be closed from MP 96.9 (Case) to MP 89 (Bernheimer) as there is no detour option. Signs and barriers will be erected warning trail users of the closure. Users should avoid this area and not go beyond the barriers. For the bridge replacements at Rhineland (MP 105.7) and Marthasville (MP 77.4), detours will be provided and signs will be posted directing trail users to the detours. Users will need to exercise caution and be on the lookout for vehicles since a portion of the both detours follow road routes.

For more information about these closures and other advisories, visit our website at http://mostateparks.com/advisories. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience while we replace these bridges.

 
ArkyKenny on 8/3/2014 4:09:21 PM:
Dawn,

First of all, let me say "thank you". You do a great job of communicating Katy stuff.

Secondly, fall is, for me anyway, the best time to be on the Katy. Many others feel that way too. I had hoped to do a full trip on Katy this fall. Why can't this be done in November when traffic slows down (and after the leaves fall).

Or at least provide us with a zipline, or something, so the trail is not closed. Surely all the army engineering boys up at Camp Leonard Wood have some sort of temporary rapid installation bridges that could work on a temporary basis while the new brides are being built.

 
MidSouth from Rogersville on 8/3/2014 5:06:15 PM:
Looks like the whole trail should be open during October, my favorite month on the trail.

 
ArkyKenny on 8/3/2014 5:14:03 PM:
I read Dawns post wrong: didn't realize it would be open in October.

Still, this seems to me like a great opportunity for the engineers to put down some temporary bridges as part of their drills. This time, and every time bridge work needs to be done.

 
Pat from St. Louis on 8/3/2014 6:33:02 PM:
We have our trip planned to ride the whole Katy Trail in three weeks. Can someone tell me what other options or roads we can take from McBaine to Providence to get off the Katy Trail and back on at Providence. Thanks

 
Anonoh on 8/4/2014 3:02:36 PM:
Pat, I believe the Old Plank Road off Route K will get you to Providence from McBaine. Not sure where the boat ramp is though. I believe Rt A off Rt 63 will get you to Hartsbug. I would jump off between McBaine and Hartsburg and not tell anybody. Between Case and Bernheimer Rt 94 would be your best bet

 
Terri from Memphis on 8/4/2014 4:34:40 PM:
Will the trailhead at Providence be open? What road is it on?

 
Edward Schmidt from Saint Louis on 8/4/2014 6:20:53 PM:
Pat, I'm in the same boat as you. Non-refundable B&B reservations made, train tickets bought. My wife, daughter, and I are going and we're going to have to just find a way around using roads. Looks like the bridge being replaced is .7 miles west of Providence landing. Like Anonoh said, Old Plank Road in to Providence landing may be an option, otherwise K and S Smith Hatchery Rd all the way to Coopers Landing. Is anyone familiar with these roads? I would imagine K is a high-speed rural road but are the others gravel or paved? Hilly? I'll try and find the time to drive the route before our trip at the end of the month and report back here.

 
Pat from St. Louis on 8/4/2014 8:07:08 PM:
Edward, We've been planning this for months as well. Getting dropped off in Clinton and riding back to St.Charles/Machens. Reservations made at B&B's too and we are riding/raising money for MDA so we need to find a way around this. Got these directions from Mapquest - just not sure what these roads are like and if it will get us back to the trail head at Providence. If someone that knows the area would reply, I'd appreciate it.
Start out going southeast on S Katy St toward W Route K/MO-K.

0.08 mi
2. Turn slight left onto W Route K/MO-K.

1.5 mi
3. Turn slight right onto S Mount Celestial Rd.

0.9 mi
4. Take the 1st right onto S Warren School Rd.

If you reach W Route K you've gone about 0.2 miles too far

1.6 mi
5. Turn right onto S Old Plank Rd.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/4/2014 11:15:18 PM:
Pat, it has been a while since I have driven in that area. I believe those back roads are composed of large gravel and very hilly. If it is nice out tomorrow, I'll take a drive up there and check out those road conditions and report back here.

 
MidSouth from Rogersville on 8/4/2014 11:47:11 PM:
In 2009 during our first end to end trip we finally called for a shuttle due to flooding in that area and never could find roads I was comfortable with.

 
Pat from St. Louis on 8/5/2014 6:29:43 AM:
Gary, I appreciate your help.

 
Jim from St Thomas on 8/5/2014 6:37:01 AM:
Pat and Ed - What dates are you riding? If I'm around I might be able to shuttle you around the bridges.

 
Ed Schmidt from St. Louis on 8/5/2014 7:19:16 AM:
Jim,

My wife, daughter, and I will be riding from Booneville to Hartsburg on Tuesday, August 26th. Thanks in advance for the shuttle offer if it works out, we might just take you up on it.

 
Pat from St. Louis on 8/5/2014 10:42:17 AM:
Jim,

We will be riding from Booneville to Jefferson City on Monday, August 25th. I appreciate your offer. My brother may be able to shuttle us around it, but I'm not sure yet. Ed, what day are you starting in Clinton?

 
Jim from St Thomas on 8/5/2014 1:27:12 PM:
I'll wait to see what Gary thinks but those aren't roads I would care to bike. I should be around on the 25th and 26th so just let me know if you need help.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/5/2014 3:04:43 PM:
The trail is blocked off just east of where Rte K crosses the trail. Rte K has a narrow bike shoulder. Mt. Celestial is a country gravel road with an uphill grade about like that of Clifton to Pilot Grove. Turning onto Warren School, you immediately start a steep uphill climb, levels off maybe a hundred yards and then goes back to a steep climb to old plank road. Old plank road starts off with some small rolling hills and then descends into providence with the last quarter mile of blacktop. You can probably expect light automotive traffic kicking up gravel dust.

If you are going to try it, I would recommend a mountain bike with wide knobby tires. Otherwise shuttle around it. I could help out those that need a shuttle also.



 
Ed Schmidt from St. Louis on 8/5/2014 8:37:22 PM:
Gary, thanks for the detailed description of the detour; it's exactly what I needed. We're gonna give it a go. My crew all ride comfort bikes with 2.125" tires; no knobbys, but we should be ok if we take our time. 6.2 mile detour in place of 4 miles of Katy trail with a missing bridge is a reasonable trade off.

 
Pat from St. Louis on 8/6/2014 4:28:38 AM:
Gary, Thanks so much for driving this and updating us. I'm not sure what we are going to do yet. My brother may be able to shuttle us around it, should know this weekend. I really appreciate your help and off to shuttle.

 
Anonymous on 8/6/2014 7:03:42 AM:
This thread is one of the best, most useful and constructive, uses of the this board I have ever seen. Congratulations to all who have contributed.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/6/2014 12:35:45 PM:
Ed, I think you will find you will be walking your bikes up most of Warren School road. If you have ever hiked up to the eagle bluffs overlook on the trail, that is what you can expect on Warren School road since it is on the backside of the eagle bluff overlook.

 
Jim from St Thomas on 8/6/2014 1:10:30 PM:
The only thing I would add is that, if memory serves, at least part of Old Plank Road is very narrow and curvy with no shoulder. Do I remember that correctly Gary? Not trying to talk you out of riding it Ed but I believe there is a reason that DNR didn't propose it as a detour.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/6/2014 3:19:16 PM:
I didn't find that part of old plank real curvy, but if you do meet automotive traffic there is not much room to share the road (that goes for all the gravel roads here) and you would need to pull over to the side where the larger loose gravel is. Not something I would want to do either.

 
Jim from St Thomas on 8/6/2014 3:39:02 PM:
You're right Gary - its not as curvy as I remembered it being when I sagged for you and Sherri that time. I guess that nasty curve on the blacktop just before you get to Providence got my attention when I was pulling the trailer.

 
Bill Tayon from St. Charles on 8/6/2014 8:27:34 PM:
Dawn:
Please tell me that bridge "at MP 93.5 near Gore" is not that splendid 1897 Pencoyd Ironworks bridge over Lost Creek. That is one of the highlights of riding that section, coming around the curve and seeing that massive Victorian era structure.

 
Andy on 8/10/2014 8:32:21 PM:
Just saw this post, but have are headed out on the trail Tuesday morning from Sedalia to St Charles. Have non-refundable B&B reservations and train tickets. Roads do not look like safe option for traveling with family. Is there a shuttle that will transport from McBaine to Providence? Or another option?

 
Trek on 8/11/2014 7:17:14 AM:
This post about the bridge closures was made shortly after noon on Sunday August 3.....that construction would begin the next day on Monday.

I may be the only one, but I think that is totally unacceptable. The DNR is a state agency and because of that, as far as I'm concerned they are working for the MO taxpayers.

I emailed info at MODNR and Dawn about perhaps allowing more advanced notice. Dawn was the only one to reply and did say that they had dropped the ball and would do better next time. My suggestion was that she make that statement here and on the DNR site, which she has not. So, if you plan well in advance to have a place to stay and you've trouble getting there....DNR will try to give more than a few hours notice next time.

 
ArkyKenny on 8/11/2014 9:11:49 AM:
Trek, I agree.

I'm glad they do maintenance on the trail, but closing the trail to do so, in the absence of flooding, is a bad option. I don't care if we get detoured, if the trail narrows, or if we go over temporary brides, but they need to keep the trail open. They rarely close roads to do maintenance, and for the same reasons, they should rarely close the trail.

That is where I think the Ft. Leonard Wood boys are an excellent group to be in contact with. Those combat engineers can put stuff up fast, and they have the equipment to do it. IMO, the DNR people need to enlist the help of those boys to keep the trail open, and give them a place to do their drills at the same time.

 
Doug from Bluffton on 8/11/2014 11:57:17 AM:
While I agree with Trek that this was not a last minute decision and more timely notice should have been provided, I still believe that this is indeed a very rare occurence on the trail. I also feel that in order to repair the bridges so that we all have safe passage in the long run it is necessary to close them temporarily. However, Arky has a good idea about using National Guard or Army Corp to set up a temp bridge as practice and to benefit the general public. Other than Dawn what State Official could we email to try and persuade to achieve this?

 
Anonoh on 8/11/2014 12:06:19 PM:
Arky and Doug your suggestion to share resources with the Feds/DOD and MODOT would be fine accept the two organizations would need a high level push from each side since the bike trails are not priority such as life safety or emergency flood evacuation. A noble and good idea though.

 
Doug from Bluffton on 8/11/2014 12:07:24 PM:
For instance, someone up for reelection in each of our districts? It won't take much to get their interest.

 
Trek on 8/11/2014 12:26:17 PM:
My email went to Dawn, and the generic contact MO State Parks, and DNR Web Contact. The later of the two generated no response. I guess no one cared to forward it to the proper person.

Dawn did reply to me, but failed to further explain on this forum that they had dropped the ball and would try to do better next time. Doing better the first time is owed to the tax payers IMO, instead of a cheesy last minute after it's all too late "We apologize for the inconvenience." Aren't DNR wages paid for by taxpayer money? If so, "Hey DNR! You're working for us!! Time to act like it!!"

Sara Parker Pauley is the Dirctor of MO DNR.

 
Animus from Jeff City, Mo. on 8/12/2014 4:53:32 AM:
All that being said, the bridge work has to be done! Horses weigh more than bicycles.

 
Carol from Nashville on 8/12/2014 10:33:25 AM:
Could use some help. We, first timers, are driving to Mo. to explore the trail. Reserved a B&B and Planned to ride from Hartsburg West to Rocheport or Booneville our first day out. Sounds like we should cancel Hartsburg and stay in Boonville?

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/12/2014 12:43:59 PM:
Those in need of a shuttle, send me an email at irwingary351@gmail.com with your contact information. I'll help you out if I can.

 
Bob W from Tucson,AZ on 8/12/2014 6:18:45 PM:
Has anyone put out detour signs that someone not from the area could follow?

 
Pat from St. Louis on 8/13/2014 9:35:18 AM:
I am disappointed that such short notice was given on the closures as well. The Katy Trail is a vacation destination for many people and to close a portion without giving options during the summer makes no sense to me. I, like many others, have made reservations at B&B's many months ago and have planned to ride the whole trail. I'm sure the businesses along the trail don't want to lose the business over this and people having to cancel. I do appreciate the people on the forums help and the offers to help shuttle. My brother should be able to shuttle me around this, but if something happens, I may contact you Gary. Thanks for all your help!

 
Just sayin' from kcmo on 8/13/2014 11:21:47 AM:
Meh. Those complaining don't know how good we have it. Name anything remotely close to the KATY in a neighboring state. Missouri's revenue stream is relatively paltry. If you complain enough, the current legislature is likely to close the whole thing under the guise of "safety" with winks and nods to those touting property rights and small government.

 
Trek on 8/13/2014 12:21:03 PM:
There is not a Katy equivalent in a neighboring state, but that doesn't mean that state employees should close portions of the trail without a legitimate effort to let those with the dollars know about it. If you had employees who's performance was subpar, would your mindset be that you should just turn the other check knowing that you probably didn't know how good you had it anyway? Or, would you think that perhaps to keep the revenue stream, some of them may need to step up a bit? Maybe they could do better to ensure the pennies keep coming in?

Missouri's revenue stream may be paltry, but it is what it is and our best efforts would be to at least let it remain paltry and not decline.

Figures from a few years ago were that 400,000 people visited the Katy Trail annually. Those visitors spent $10.4 million in direct spending in and around the Katy Trail. The whole park system as reported in the St. Louis Post last April, supports nearly 15,000 jobs and in 2011 nearly 18 million park visitors generated over $1 billion in economic activity in Missouri.

I've talked to B&B owners along the trail who've said that more than 80% of their business was Katy Trail visitors. Paltry? Don't know what their income is, but they've been forthright in stating that it'd be 80% less without 400,000 visitors per year to the trail.

Close the trail? Highly unlikely.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/13/2014 8:55:41 PM:
OK everyone, take a deep breath, take a ride on the Katy and clear your minds. I have volunteered for the DNR Katy Trail Rides for the past six years and know you will not find a more dedicated employee than Dawn that takes her job seriously, it is not a cheesy apology TREK, and she does not deserve these rants on this forum.

Instead of bitching and moaning, try focusing your energies for positive solutions to the problem and keep it in perspective. This is a temporary problem and will soon be over and forgotten.

 
ArkyKenny on 8/13/2014 8:55:52 PM:
Trek,
One day, we are going to ride together. And when we are done, I will buy you a lemonade, or an ice cream cone, or a beer, or what ever you want.

 
MidSouth from Rogersville on 8/13/2014 10:06:01 PM:
We should actually try and get a BikeKatyTrail ride put together sometime. Be nice to meet Ray and some of the other regular posters. Maybe a weekend in Rocheport or Hartsburg?

 
Pat from St. Louis on 8/14/2014 6:41:55 AM:
I love the Katy Trail and really appreciate having the trail and those that work on it. We ride sections of the Katy all the time. I was just disappointed with the short notice given on the closure and no options for those that will be riding the whole trail.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/14/2014 8:21:44 AM:
To quote Forrest Gump "It happens".

 
Trek on 8/14/2014 8:53:55 AM:
Me too Pat. At every opportunity, I've thanked the DNR staff when I see them on the trail or at a trailhead…including Dawn.

Yes, someone can take their job seriously but they can also drop the ball or work with failed policy. The job hasn't been well done when there is a poke in the eye to those who are paying the bills or to our guests from out of state.

I'll respectfully disagree with you Gary, Near Tebbetts. Cheesy....lame....whatever. Ask any of those who have posted here (Pat, Terri, Edward, Ed, Andy) trying to make their plans work if it was well played by DNR to let them know at 12:20pm Sunday that the trail will be closed the next morning.

Keeping it in perspective, the positive solution needs to be for down the road and not just for this temporary problem. Looking farther than the nose on your face can sometimes prevent "It" from happening.

It'd be nice to see someone from the DNR reply here or on their website and let everyong know that they realize a few hours was not appropriate and that they were working to make sure a more reasonable time frame was used next time. I'd like to think that they would want to improve and not just brush it off because "It happens."

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/14/2014 9:54:34 AM:
Just trying to lighten it up a little here and do what I can to help out those in need Trek.

 
Ludwghfn on 8/15/2014 9:50:51 AM:
Gary is gonna shuttle me around the detour, seems like a nice, helpful gentleman. It's an easy answer to all the angst. Even though I should never take a ride with strangers, the Katy Trail forum community seems like all friends!

 
Awf Hand on 8/15/2014 11:24:11 AM:
"strangers" are friends you haven't met yet, right?
I'll be there the second week of Sept. and having read the routing and description of the alternate route, am prepared to give it a go. I'll report back.

 
Jim from St Thomas on 8/15/2014 4:29:24 PM:
I would add that when it comes to strangers they don't come any stranger than Gary.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/15/2014 5:09:19 PM:
Thanks brother, I'll take that as a compliment.

 
Jim from St Thomas on 8/15/2014 6:24:29 PM:
Then I'll pretend it was one.......

 
Dorothy and Brian from Belleville IL on 8/19/2014 7:51:32 PM:
WOW! What a kick in the gut! LOL....after months of planning to ride the entire Katy Trail from Clinton and beyond to Grafton IL, now this. Glad I happened across this information in time for our ride the week of Sept. 6th - 12th. We will be passing through this closed area on Monday, Sept. 8th so if we planned it just a little later in Sept we would have been okay. I guess we may have to take Gary up on his offer as well unless someone has come up with another solution or route. We are okay with riding the road but if it's too hilly this is our longest day of riding. Thanks for any further updates as they come up!

 
MidSouth from Rogersville, MO on 8/20/2014 6:01:14 PM:
Just looked at the Advisories on the DNR site and the second set of bridge repairs is to begin on Oct 22, not on Oct 31 as Dawn posted above.

 
Rock on 8/26/2014 6:37:59 AM:
Does anyone know how the construction is progressing? Will the work be done by Sept 19? We have a ride scheduled to get to the bridge on Sept 28.

 
Corey from STL on 8/26/2014 12:48:40 PM:
Here's a link to a Google Map showing the detour described above, albeit with a slight variation to avoid the initial climb on Warren School Rd.

I have not ridden this, but will be doing so on Sept 10th. Just thought it might be useful.

 
Corey from STL on 8/26/2014 12:49:13 PM:
Oops. Here's th elink: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.8861109,-92.4448755/38.8374228,-92.4056185/@38.8517265,-92.3986972,206m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!4m4!1m0!1m0!3e0!5i1

 
Lynn from Silver Cliff, Colorado on 8/27/2014 2:26:23 PM:
We are in the same position as others, with reservations made. Has anyone done the detour on Old Plank Rd from McBaine to Providence? How tough was it? Is anyone shuttling cyclists? We will be on that section Sept 11th. Thanks for help!!!

 
Arnold from Tulsa, OK on 8/27/2014 2:47:53 PM:
I met two guys in Rocheport today who had ridden from Jeff City. They claimed to have walked their bikes across the mostly dry creek beds to get past the bridge construction.

 
Lynn from Silver Cliff on 8/27/2014 3:39:11 PM:
Thanks, that's quite helpful if it's possible!!!

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/28/2014 3:04:30 PM:
I was in the area today and decided to ride up to the bridge. The old bridge has been removed and they have started working on the prep for pouring the concrete footings and posts. Walking through the construction area would be rugged and not welcomed by the construction workers. I believe Corey's route is mostly blacktop, except for Dothage road. I did not go that route since I drove to Providence and old plank is more direct so I do not know if Dothage is uphill or not. I did see a biker on the blacktop part of old plank coming off route K he was climbing that hill and seemed to doing OK.

 
Dorothy and Brian from Belleville IL on 8/29/2014 10:45:58 AM:
Let me ask you this Gary, since it looks like we will be taking Corey's route for the most part. Would it be okay to just continue on Smith Hatchery Road and come out further down the trail around Coopers Landing avoiding most of the gravel? Since it would be best going up the hills on blacktop rather than gravel.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/30/2014 10:06:18 AM:
That might be possible, it has been a while since I drove that part but somewhere along the way on Smith Hatchery it turns to gravel coming into Coopers, just don't remember where along the road it changes over.

 
Ed Schmidt on 8/30/2014 5:22:51 PM:
I just returned today from our trip where we road east from Clinton to Machens traversing both detours. For the first detour, we chose the “second” right on to Mount Celestial off of K to have more paved riding, then Warren School, and Old Plank. I have to admit I spent more time worrying about the detours than actually riding on them. Gary was right, the hills are steep and we did some walking on them, maybe a mile of the 5.2 mile detour, but mostly road our bikes at a pace of 7-10 MPH. My wife, daughter, and I all ride comfort bikes with 26x1.75/1.9 tires. All of the turns were marked with streets signs big enough not to miss, so there’s no need for a GPS of any sorts. The biggest challenge on the detours was the heat; it was 95+ on our “detour” day. I have no regrets just riding the detours and not seeking out a shuttle; btw, thanks again for the offer Gary. Good luck to all those who will traverse these roads in the coming days.

 
Anonoh on 8/31/2014 6:59:26 AM:
Did we ever identify if the bridge was the 1897 Pencoyd Ironworks bridge over Lost Creek? Those bridges like the old train cars could be museum pieces displayed along the trail?

 
Darrell from Jeff City, Mo. on 9/1/2014 4:32:11 AM:
Thanks Ed Schmidt, for your helpful contribution. Your information should help ease the worry over the detour, for some through riders.

 
Lisa from Kansas City on 9/1/2014 9:28:47 AM:
We just finished biking from Sedalia to machens and encountered the detours. We had heard in booneville about walking across the creek bed at the first detour in Mcbain so we biked to the closed bridge. It is steep grade down to the creek and we would have been going through a lot of poison ivy and thick vegetation and with our bikes loaded down with panniers and packs it seemed unwise. We ended up backtracking to highway K and went to mount celestial, warren school and old plank. It was a bear on warren school with large gravel, steep grades and a less than friendly dog! It was also hot as h--- and very humid so all in all pretty unpleasant!! We were able to ride the whole thing but definitely at a slow pace.
Coopers landing was a welcome site for a cold powerade!
The next detour was much easier--fairly clearly marked and also with some uphill grade but mostly paved so that was a relief!
We were very glad to make it to Jefferson City that night!

 
Pat from St. Louis on 9/3/2014 10:18:41 AM:
We rode from Clinton to Machens starting on 8/23 and finished on 8/28 - hottest week of the summer. Even with the heat, we loved the trail and experience - wouldn't hesitate to do it again. We did get shuttled around the McBaine closure and I was glad we did. I wouldn't have wanted to tackle those roads on the bike especially in that heat and with that being our longest day on the trail.

 
Anonymous on 9/3/2014 11:27:10 AM:
We'll be going through McBaine on mid-morning on Tues, 9/16. How do we touch base with Gary for a shuttle? Julie

 
Jim from St Thomas on 9/3/2014 12:33:05 PM:
Gary's email is irwingary351@gmail.com If Gary can't help you can email me at jcirwin1980@gmail.com

 
Anonymous on 9/8/2014 6:35:18 AM:
Any update as far as the completion date. Plan on trip from St Charles to Columbia at end of month.

 
BikerBoy from Edwardsville, IL on 9/9/2014 9:19:25 AM:
I called DNR today to get the latest scoop. They are putting steel girders down and will be pouring concrete in a few days. They expect them to be open on schedule (Sept. 19th). There is a Special Olympics fundraising ride that weekend (20th and 21st), so they really want them finished by then. However, if the weather turns bad for a couple of days, then the 19th is in jeopardy.

 
Kurt on 9/11/2014 4:13:14 AM:
I hope they stay on schedule. Im riding the trail from Clinton to Dutzow and will be hopefully crossing the bridge early on the 19th.

 
Bob from LC on 9/15/2014 10:05:00 AM:
Any later updates. Will be there Wed. 9/17. can we get across or will we still need to detour.

 
BikerBoy from Edwardsville, IL on 9/16/2014 10:16:12 AM:
Just talked to Mary at the Rock Bridge district of MO DNR. She said that everything looks on schedule for opening of the bridges on this Friday (9/19). If you are trying to cross tomorrow or Thursday, she said to call their office to see if the bridges have opened early. Their number is 573-449-7402.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 9/16/2014 4:04:03 PM:
The bridges at Providence and Wilton will be officially opened 9/17/2014.

 
BikerBoy from Edwardsville, IL on 9/16/2014 8:45:58 PM:
That's great news -- we will be crossing them this weekend. Thanks to the engineers, contractors, DNR and all others for getting these done on time! But I will not get to meet Gary and his "shuttle", unfortunately. :)

 
MLB from Carmel, IN on 9/17/2014 5:14:45 AM:
Great news! This will be great for the event this weekend. We'll be passing through there next week. Thank you all for keeping us up to date on the progress. This forum has been so helpful in planning our trip.