Photo: Route J bridge under construction in Ozark County over Lick Creek at Howard’s Ridge. Photo: Courtesy Michele Strain via Ozark County Times
Completion of the Missouri Route J bridge over Lick Creek at Howard’s Ridge, about 3 miles south of U.S. Highway 160 in Ozark County, is now set for mid-September, according to information Missouri Department of Transportation Area Engineer Elquin Auala provided to the Ozark County Times.
The bridge, on a heavily used route between Gainesville and Mountain Home, closed April 27, as work began to replace the previous structure, which was built in 1948. The estimated completion date was originally given as mid-August.
Auala says she wasn’t sure why completion is delayed, but assumes it’s due to heavy rains that fell earlier this spring and summer.
The new bridge will be 26 feet wide and 236 feet long, Auala says, replacing the current crossing, which is 20 feet wide and 218 feet long. Contractor Phillips Hardy of Columbia was awarded the $1.48 million contract during the Missouri Department of Transportation letting in February.
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