CHESTERFIELD • The Daniel Boone Bridge was closed to eastbound traffic for much of Friday after it was struck by a crane.

Missouri transportation officials closed eastbound Highway 40 (Interstate 64) over the Missouri River about 8:30 a.m. after discovering that a barge carrying a construction crane had broken loose and came to rest on the eastbound span. The bridge closure marked an earlier-than-expected start to disruptive highway shutdowns in the Chesterfield Valley this weekend. All lanes reopened by about 6 p.m.

Greg Horn, St. Louis district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said the crane was being used to work on the new eastbound span that will open this year.

Rising water and high winds from Thursday’s storm appear to have caused the barge to break free, Horn told reporters. The river rose about 10 feet.

MoDOT officials noticed the barge resting against the bridge about 5:30 a.m. Friday.

Nobody was injured in the mishap.

Crews secured the crane and worked with the Coast Guard to remove it. As that work went on, Horn said river debris was building up against the barge by Friday morning.