Demolition planned for part of old I-30 bridge

Demolition of three concrete piers of the old Interstate 30 bridge over the Red River that will require a brief closing of Interstate 30 and U.S. 67 in Miller and Hempstead counties will take place later than planned, the Arkansas Department of Transportation said.

Crews will close lanes in both directions on I-30 and U.S. 67 in the vicinity of the bridge at 9 a.m. Friday for 10 to 15 minutes, weather permitting. The lanes originally were going to be closed beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

The I-30 westbound lanes will be closed 1 mile east of the site in Hempstead County and the eastbound lanes will be closed 1 mile west of the site in Miller County.

Eastbound U.S. 67 traffic will be stopped just west of the Boll Weevil Convenience Store. Westbound traffic will be stopped at the intersection of Arkansas 355 and U.S. 67 in Fulton, near Suny's Food Mart & Deli.

The blasting operation will be the second at the site in recent weeks. Explosives were used to remove the bridge beams April 23.

[VIDEO: Watch April 23 demolition of old I-30 bridge]

The work is part of a $37.2 million project awarded in June 2015 to replace the bridge. The work is expected to be substantially complete next month, the department said.

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