Cars drive Tuesday along the completed first phase of the new detour road connecting Washington Street around the demolished bridge over Kansas City Railway tracks at Clark Street. This phase opens the new temporary city street between the DiamondJacks Casino intersection with Washington Street and the area near the entrance to Ergon. The second phase, expected to be complete in about three weeks, will finish the connection from the Ergon area to Lee Street and back to Washington Street. The detour provides a shorter way around the bridge construction than the city-routed detour that runs east around the site through City Park. The Washington Street bridge was closed in January 2009 and demolished in August 2010. It served as the main north-south corridor connecting downtown with Interstate 20. Completion of the road-topped tunnel is expected in April. Tractor-trailer rigs are required to detour onto U.S. 61 North.