Mississippi River bridge at Lansing demolition scheduled for December

Both the Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation (DOT) have taken the next step in the Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing project with a planned implosion and removal of the main section Dec. 18.

The implosion is scheduled to occur at 9:30 a.m., followed by removal of the debris from the Mississippi River. However, Iowa DOT added that the demolition could be delayed because of weather or other considerations and will issue any updates as needed.

According to the Iowa DOT, demolition is needed to allow construction of the new crossing to proceed safely with a planned opening in 2027. Renderings of the new bridge have been released to the public. The existing bridge has been closed to traffic since October.

Iowa DOT outlined a number of procedures that are in place for Dec. 18. A clear zone will be marked and enforced by the project contractor to protect anyone from debris and the contractor will directly contact all impacted property owners to mitigate any impacts from the implosion.

The car ferry service will be suspended, with the last service offered the evening of Dec. 17. Service will resume =Dec. 21. Iowa 26 also will be closed for a short period on the morning of Dec. 18 as portions of the road are located inside the clear zone.

Iowa DOT says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have already closed the Mississippi River to commercial traffic prior to the implosion. The river will also be closed to recreational boat traffic inside of the clear zone.

Both Iowa DOT and Wisconsin DOT are working closely with the project contractor, local officials, law enforcement and other government agencies to plan for safety, traffic and other mitigation efforts before, during, and after the implosion. More information, including how to access to a live video feed of the implosion, will be available Dec. 15.