On March 24, a bridge replacement project will begin on Kansas 181 south of Downs, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced this week. The scope of the project is the replacement of the North Fork Solomon River Bridge.

The roadway will be closed and traffic will be detoured from K-181; west 8 miles on Osborne County Road 388 to U.S. 281 (Osborne), north 5 miles to U.S. 24, then east 8 miles to K-181 (Downs).

A.M. Cohron and Son, Inc., of Atlantic, Iowa, is the primary contractor on this project, which has a contract cost of $2.8 million.

The new bridge will replace the current six-pier structure built in 1952. The existing bridge was lengthened and raised in 1967 to be above the flood pool elevation of Waconda Lake/Glen Elder Dam built in 1969.

The scheduled completion date to open the project to traffic is Oct. 31.