(COLUMBIA, MO) -
Columbia Public Works announces that Providence Road between Ash Street and Worley Street will be closed to all through traffic beginning on Friday, February 22 at 7:00 PM, through 7:00 to 9:00 am on Saturday, February 23 to allow a contractor to remove the pedestrian overpass at the J.W. Blind Boone Center.
This work will require both south and northbound lanes to be closed during the process. Traffic detours will be set up as such:
· Southbound Providence Road will detour west on Worley Street to Garth Avenue, south on Garth Avenue to Ash Street, east on Ash Street to Providence Road.
· Northbound Providence Road will detour east on Ash Street to 5th Street, north on 5th Street to Worley Street, west on Worley Street to Providence Road.
A detour map is attached. Detour routes will be clearly marked. Columbia Police will have a presence in the area to monitor traffic flows.
As there has also been media and public interest in this project, a viewing area for the public and for the media will be stationed on Park Avenue on the west side of Providence Road.
· The area around the bridge is a work zone and all pedestrian traffic is prohibited.
· Providence Road north of the bridge to Worley is a designated heavy equipment staging area.
· Park Avenue just west of Providence Road is the designated public/media viewing area.
· The sidewalks on the east and west side of Providence from Park to Ash are closed to pedestrian traffic.
A work zone map is attached. Work areas for the contractor to remove the bridge and stage heavy equipment are marked as is the public/media viewing area.
While there is no perfect time to close a major roadway, this time frame was established as there are no major public events scheduled for this weekend.
Motorists are urged to find alternate routes during the closure. If alternate routes are not possible, motorist are urged to use extreme caution in the construction area and on the detour routes.
The detour routes have been cleared and are safe and passable. Road crews will monitor the detours up to and throughout the closure.
The pedestrian bridge removal is part of a larger project to enhance pedestrian safety on Providence Road which will provide a signalized pedestrian crossing and median on Providence between Park and Worley Streets. The new median and signalized pedestrian crossing will be operational before the pedestrian bridge is removed.
We appreciate your patience while we work to complete this project in a timely fashion.
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