Missouri Route 79 in Hannibal Opens Upon Completion of Bridge Replacement Project

HANNIBAL - The bridge on Missouri Route 79 over Bear Creek, Norfolk Southern Railroad and Warren Barrett Drive in Hannibal opened today, Monday, October 28.

Construction on the bridge replacement project began earlier this year aimed to enhance safety, connectivity, and infrastructure resilience in the area.

The structure, located in the heart of America's Hometown, serves as a main connector to the city's south side for tourists, residents and industry, including two large manufacturing facilities with significant commercial truck traffic. The project replaced the original bridge built in 1967. The new bridge boasts a minimum life expectancy of 75 years and includes several improvements over the previous design, including a decrease in the maximum grade from 8% to 4.85%, a shorter length from 1012' to 877' and a 10-foot-wide fully ADA-compliant shared-use path to be enjoyed by pedestrians and cyclists where only a partial sidewalk and steps previously existed.

Travelers may experience intermittent lane reductions on MO 79 at this location over the next two weeks as crews complete minor work items and perform final clean-up work.

KCI Construction Company was awarded the contract in the amount of $12.4M.

The public is invited to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled to be held at 1:00 p.m. on November 15, 2024 at the Jaycees Grandstand at 320 S. 3rd Street in Hannibal, Missouri to celebrate the opening.

Winter is around the corner. All road conditions can be found online at modot.org under the traveler map. Please drive slowly during winter weather. Subscribe to our e-update service and receive road condition emails when winter weather could affect travel. Follow us on Facebook.