Willow Branch bridge to be closed beginning next week...

Route 18 at Willow Branch east of Merwin is scheduled to CLOSE the week of April 16, to allow contractor crews to replace the bridge, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.

The Willow Branch bridge will close a day or two following the opening of the Miami Creek bridge on Route 18 in Merwin. Route 18 will remain closed at the Willow Branch bridge until late May.

The old bridge is being replaced as part of MoDOT's Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program. Weather and/or construction delays could alter the dates the road is closed and reopened.

One other bridge in Bates County is scheduled for replacement this year under the program:

* Route H/South Deepwater Creek west of Montrose

Information on the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program statewide can be found on MoDOT's web site -- www.modot.org/safeandsound .