Construction crews will close Interstate 30 and U.S. Highway 67 over the Red River at Fulton briefly Monday morning to blow up the old I-30 bridge, according to Arkansas Department of Transportation officials.
That section of the interstate has been under construction since 2015 while crews built a new bridge over the river.
Starting at 6:30 a.m. Monday and weather permitting, Jensen Construction workers will close all lanes of the interstate and the highway nearby for 10-15 minutes. The closure is necessary to demolish three spans of the old I-30 bridge via a blasting operation to remove steel beams.
I-30's westbound traffic will be stopped at mile marker 18 in Hempstead County, and the eastbound lanes will be closed at mile marker 16 in Miller County. Eastbound U.S. Highway 67 traffic will be stopped near mile marker 16, just west of the Boll Weevil convenience store. Westbound traffic will be stopped at state Highway 355 in Fulton, near Suny's Food Mart and Deli.
The project to replace the bridge was awarded to Jensen Construction in June 2015 for $37,192,629. Work should be completed in June.
Drivers should be cautious when approaching and traveling through highway work zones, officials said. Get travel information at idrivearkansas.com or ardot.gov or follow @myARDOT on Twitter.