The Missouri Department of Transportation worked to repair a 67-year-old-bridge on Missouri Highway 22 east of Centralia after the bridge deck partially collapsed Tuesday morning.

The bridge crosses Youngs Creek and reports of a hole in the bridge deck in the westbound lane were received by the Centralia Police Department at 9:23 a.m.

Winter weather and the bridge’s age were factors in the hole’s formation said Northeast District Engineer Brian Untiedt.

“The bridge deck is composed of concrete with steel rebar in it to hold it together. You get moisture into that bridge deck and it kind of wears down on that concrete,” he said.

The highway was reduced to one lane after being cleared for traffic in the eastbound lane. MoDOT flagged traffic through the open lane. Motorists were urged to use caution, slow down and provide plenty of space for the crew working in the area.

Repairs to the bridge were made Tuesday with both lanes reopening to traffic Wednesday morning. Crews repoured the concrete bridge deck section which then cured over a seven- to eight-hour period before the bridge was reopened, Untiedt said.

“As pavement expands and contracts, especially when moisture gets in the roadway, it can cause damage to the integrity of the road and bridges,” MoDOT Northeast District Engineer Paula Gough said in a news release. “Our crews will work safely and quickly to make the needed repairs and get traffic moving on both lanes as soon as possible.”

The Youngs Creek bridge was first built in 1953, and is one of the state’s 10,384 bridges in the state highway system.

cdunlap@gatehousemedia.com