Motorists in Northwest Missouri can now travel easier and use Highway 136 in Atchison County after more than four months of closure due to flooding.

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) officials announced that the highway opened to traffic Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. between Brownville and Interstate 29 after having been closed since Saturday, June 18. The extensive damages to the section of roadway were completed more than one month earlier than expected. Leavenworth Excavating & Equipment Company, Inc. (Lexeco), of Leavenworth, Kansas was the contractor on the project.
“We know how frustrating the closure of Route 136 has been for everyone, especially local residents.  That’s why we have been committed throughout this flooding event to reopen these roads as quickly and safely as possible,” said Don Wichern, MoDOT Northwest District Engineer.
Lexeco was awarded two separate emergency repair contracts for Highway 136. The first contract was awarded Monday, Sept. 19 in the amount of $3,293,570.90 for the 1.7- mile section of roadway from Route D to just west of Interstate 29. The first emergency contract filled three of the four gaps in pavement and repaired the shoulders damaged by the flood.  Crews hauled rock 24 hours daily, seven days a week to fill these three gaps in only 13 days.

The second contract for $3,492,032.80 involved filling the largest gap which was 480-foot long and 65-foot deep scour hole, as well as asphalt resurfacing over all the filled gaps. More than 105,000 tons of rock, more than 4,900 truck loads, was needed to fill “the Beast,” and more than 200,000 tons was used for both projects. The largest gap was filled in only 10 days.
Even after the road is open, Lexeco will continue to work placing dirt on the slopes and ditches and the road will be narrowed to one lane around the work zone for about one month.  The Brownville Bridge will also be reduced to one-lane traffic for possibly the next couple of months while the truss is being painted.
Interested viewers can watch the live online streaming video of the completion of this project at: www.modot.org/northwest/flooding.htm  The camera soon will be moved to show work on Highway 159. Videos and photos from the flood can also be found on the Northwest District Flood page at:  modot.org/northwest/flooding.     
For more information about this or other projects being handled by the MoDOT, please call our toll-free customer service hotline at: 1-888-275-6636.