Route 65 at Route 248 in Branson will be closed at night in one direction or another for four nights starting Thursday night, Sept. 15, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.
Construction delays occurred in the manufacturing of bridge girders needed to widen the Route 248 bridge over Route 65.  The delays caused the closing of Route 65 to be postponed.  
The work will take place between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. — Thursday and Friday nights, Sept. 15 and 16 and on Monday and Tuesday nights, Sept. 19 and 20.  

Traffic will be detoured over the ramps.

Here’s the schedule:

* Thursday, Sept. 15: Both southbound lanes closed to prepare bridge to receive the new girders.

* Friday, Sept. 16: Both northbound lanes closed to prepare bridge to receive the new girders.

* Monday, Sept. 19: Both southbound lanes closed to install bridge girders over Route 65.

* Tuesday, Sept. 20: Both northbound lanes closed to install bridge girders over Route 65.

Traffic Impacts:

* During the closings, Route 65 traffic will be routed over the ramps at the Route 248 interchange.

* When Route 65 traffic is routed over the ramps, Route 248 traffic will be stopped at the ramps.

* When necessary, flaggers will stop Route 65 traffic on the ramps to allow Route 248 traffic to proceed across the bridge or to allow Route 248 drivers to enter the ramps.

Early Heads Up:

During the week of Sept. 26, Route 248 traffic will be further narrowed on the bridge over Route 65.  The left-turn lanes will be eliminated. All turns must be made from the through lanes on the bridge.  Traffic also will be shifted away from where crews are working.

The new, temporary traffic pattern will cause a congested area to become even more congested.  Drivers are urged to add extra travel time to their commutes when the traffic shift occurs.

Project Background:

The work is part of the project to widen the Route 248 bridge over Route 65 and convert the interchange into a diverging diamond interchange.

The prime contractor on the project is APAC-Missouri of Columbia, doing the work for a low bid amount of $5 million. The project is scheduled for completion by December 19, 2011.

The project is a partnership between the city of Branson and MoDOT.

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