Fairfax bridge demolition continues Saturday, Jan. 24

The demolition of the Fairfax bridge on U.S. 69 will continue on Saturday morning, Jan. 24, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Last week, the end trusses of the bridge were demolished. Two more blasts will be required to finish the job. The bridge connects Platte and Wyandotte counties.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, a blast is scheduled to demolish the southern portions of the Fairfax bridge truss spans over the river.

Because of highly variable weather conditions, this event may be delayed or rescheduled.

The northern truss portion of the bridge will be demolished in another blast event.

MoDOT has designated a public viewing area at E.H. Young Riverfront Park, 1001 Argosy Parkway, Riverside, Mo. Public access to the levees will not be allowed. The adjacent Platte Purchase bridge will be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Currently, the U.S. 69 bridge over the Missouri River has two bridges, including the Platte Purchase bridge and Fairfax bridge. The new bridge to be built will be a single bridge with multiple lanes and bike-pedestrian access, according to a MoDOT spokesman. It will open to traffic in December 2016.

Check for updates to the schedule at http://www.modot.org/kansascity/ or at https://twitter.com/hashtag/us69MoRiverBridge?src=hash.