Stone/Taney County, Mo. — A heavily used bridge between Stone County and Taney County has reopened ahead of schedule.

The Long Creek bridge on Missouri Route 86 across Table Rock Lake has been closed since June 3. After repairs went quicker than expected the bridge was reopened at 8:15 a.m. Friday, June 7.

The bridge was originally scheduled to be closed for another three weeks.

Long Creek Bridge was closed so that Missouri Department of Transportation crews could repair structural steel at the bearings that connect the bridge’s driving surface to the truss support system.

MoDOT says they were able to finish the urgent repairs ahead of schedule due to thorough advanced planning, using three bridge crews and less deterioration than expected.

The 25-ton weight restriction on the bridge has been removed as well.