You Can Watch MoDOT Detonate The Old Rocheport Bridge This Sunday

The Missouri Department of Transportation is going to detonate the truss of the old Missouri River Bridge on Interstate 70 over the Missouri River near Rocheport this Sunday, September 10, 2023, and you can watch it happen live if you're up early enough.

The blast that will bring down the truss is scheduled for 7:30 AM CDT and Interstate 70 and a portion of the Katy Trail in the blast perimeter will be closed to traffic, pedestrians, and bicyclists during and immediately after the blast.

It also will be hard to witness in person because most of the area around the Rocheport Bridge is private property, that said, The Missouri Department of Transportation will be live-streaming the demolition on the MoDOT website here.

MoDOT says the blast will only last a moment but it will drop the 1,100 feet of old truss, including six million pounds of steel into the Missouri River. The demo team will then have to remove the old truss from the river within 24 hours to reopen the river channel to boat and barge traffic. Additionally, construction of the new eastbound bridge will commence almost immediately after the blast.

Missouri Department of transportation

MoDOT suggests that travelers avoid Interstate 70 around the Rocheport bridge on the day of the blast from 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM CDT because the new westbound bridge, the one carrying both directions of traffic, will need to undergo a sweep and inspection after the blast to remove debris and make sure it's safe for traffic.

In case of bad weather, the blast could be delayed or rescheduled for Tuesday, September 12, 2023. The Rocheport Bridge project is on schedule, and both bridges are expected to be complete and open in December 2024.

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Ghosts of the Once Great Lewis & Clark Tower

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

Built in 1963, opened in 1964, and a landmark by the late 1960s, The Louis & Clark Tower north of St. Louis was a destination for those looking for a swanky meal in the building's 10th-floor Top of the Tower Restaurant. Couples on date night could also check out a movie, or go bowling, in the attached retail section of the building. By the end, condominium values in the building had plummeted, much of the retail space was being used by social services, and some units in the building didn't have water. The elevators didn't work either. By 2014 authorities stepped in and condemned the building, forcing the few who still called the tower home out of the building.

In 2020 Tom V shot some video of the now abandoned building including the Top of the Tower Restaurant and some of the apartments. You can watch the video here.

Gallery Credit: Rob Creighton