Ground Broken for New Champ Clark Bridge at Louisiana

Groundbreaking ceremonies with dirt collected on both sides of the Mississippi River mark the official start of work on a new Champ Clark Bridge at Louisiana.
Louisiana Mayor Bart Niedner says the new bridge is vital to the area because of the age of the current bridge. "The local economic impact is a driver for virtually every business in the Louisana area". The current bridge opened in 1928 and has required weight restrictions and a lot of maintenance work in recent years. Federal highway funds and money from Missouri and Illinois will cover the 60 million dollar cost.  Work starts Monday with changes to the US-54/Missouri 79 intersection in Louisiana. The 60 million dollar project is expected to be complete in April of 2019.