Officials say Gene Field Road bridge will open 18 months ahead of schedule following replacement

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story previously reported that the Gene Field Road Bridge would open following the ribbon-cutting. The bridge is currently not scheduled to open until Tuesday, June 30 at the earliest, due to weather conditions.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- A ribbon-cutting was held on the Gene Field Road Bridge Friday to celebrate the completion of the project.

Marty Liles, district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation's Northwest District, said finishing the project 18 months ahead of schedule was a testament to the teamwork and support from the City of St. Joseph. 

“It was one of the unfortunate incidents that happened with the bridge. We had it under construction for a completion in December of 2027, and unfortunately, we had a superload that came through and damaged it,” he said.  

Despite that setback, Liles said he's proud of the team for completing the project well ahead of schedule. 

While the ribbon-cutting was hosted on Friday, the bridge will not actually reopen until Tuesday, June 30 at the earliest.

The bridge, which was struck by an oversized haul on a semi, was already scheduled for repairs. MoDOT said the repairs were originally scheduled to be completed in December 2027.

KQ2 will update this story.