The city of Arnold will close one intersection for about a month after recently opening a different intersection about a month earlier than expected.
James Pogorzelski, interim Public Works director, said the city will close the intersection at Pomme and Old Lemay Ferry roads on Monday, Aug. 3, as repairs are made to a bridge that goes over Pomme Creek on Pomme Road. He said the intersection is expected to be closed for four to six weeks.
That intersection closure comes two weeks after Arnold was able to reopen the intersection at Richardson and Old Lemay Ferry roads on July 20, which was about four weeks earlier than anticipated. The intersection was closed on May 26, and it was not expected to reopen until Aug. 15.
Pogorzelski also said Ameren is scheduled to begin relocating utilities on Pomme Road by mid-August in preparation for the first phase of an improvement project on that road. The utility relocation project is expected to take five weeks to complete, and the first phase of the Pomme Road improvement project, which will be done between Lonedell Road and Rockveiw Lane, is expected to begin in spring 2027.
Pomme-Old Lemay Ferry
The bridge on Pomme Road is close to where the road intersects with Old Lemay Ferry Road, and it is one of two bridges the city hired PCX Construction of Arnold to repair.
Arnold will pay PCX $321,750 to repair the Pomme Road bridge, and the company already repaired a bridge on Ozark Drive this winter.
During the closure of the Pomme-Old Lemay Ferry roads intersection, traffic coming from Missouri State Road and Church Road will be diverted to Vogel Road, and drivers will be directed to turn right onto the backside of Pomme Road.
Drivers on Vogel Road will turn left onto Missouri State Road, then left onto Lonedell Road to get onto Pomme Road.
The detour route for drivers on Pomme Road wanting to get onto Old Lemay Ferry Road will be to take Pomme Road to Vogel Road to get onto Old Lemay Ferry Road.
Pogorzelski said the city waited to start work on the Pomme Road bridge due to work on Lonedell Road, which was closed to northbound traffic in July 2025 and reopened to two-way traffic earlier this month.
“If we had Richardson Road closed (at Old Lemay Ferry Road) and Pomme Road closed (at Old Lemay Ferry Road), it was not going to make for a fun commute for anybody,” Pogorzelski said.
According to a report, the Pomme Road bridge has rust between the masonry bearing plate and the bearings, which has caused the plate to rise about three-quarters of an inch off bearing. The report also said bearings on the bridge need to be repainted to prevent future rust.
Pogorzelski said PCX will do those repairs and clean the girders.
The bridge on Ozark Drive, which is past the Paw Parks and near where the road splits with one side leading to the Ozark Hill Mobile Home Park, had its girders and bearings cleaned and painted.
The bridge was last worked on in 2018, according to a report provided by the city.
Pogorzelski said both bridges received a five rating from MoDOT. He said that is one place above when MoDOT considers a bridge to be in poor condition and needing immediate attention.
Pogorzelski said the city is paying for the bridge projects with its portion of Jefferson County’s 1/2-cent sales tax for the bridge projects. The county keeps the bulk of the money from the tax to use throughout unincorporated Jefferson County and then distributes the rest to cities based on population and road miles in those cities.
Richardson-Old Lemay Ferry
The city closed approximately 200 feet of Richardson Road leading to Old Lemay Ferry Road shortly after the Fox C-6 School District’s school year ended on May 22.
Pogorzelski said the work was completed ahead of schedule because there were no utility setbacks, which have caused other projects to be delayed.
“We are extremely happy,” he said of being able to reopen the intersection earlier than expected. “There was a long detour to go around that, and a lot of people are happy that it is open early.”
In December, the city hired Jokerst Inc. of Ste. Genevieve to do the federally-funded $499,513.09 project at the intersection of Richardson and Old Lemay Ferry roads.
Arnold received a grant from the East-West Gateway Council of Governments that will pay for $399,610.47, or about 80 percent, of the project, and the city will pay $99,902.62, or about 20 percent. The city will use its portion of Jefferson County’s 1/2-cent sales tax to pay for its share of the project.
The intersection was realigned about 200 feet south of where Richardson and Old Lemay Ferry currently connect, creating a 90-degree turn instead of the current Y-turn configuration.
Dedicated left- and right-turn lanes were added to Richardson Road, which should make it easier for drivers to turn north or south onto Old Lemay Ferry Road.
A stormwater pipe that runs under Richardson Road was replaced during the project.
“It is a lot safer because you don’t have to turn and break your neck when you are looking up the hill,” Pogorzelski said of the intersection.
Pomme Road — Phase 1
The first phase of the Pomme Road improvement project will reconstruct just more than a half-mile of the road and add sidewalks between Lonedell Road and Rockveiw Lane.
Arnold received a $1,650,000 Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, the governing body of the Missouri Department of Transportation, to help pay for the project.
The total estimated cost of the project is $3,150,000.
Pogorzelski said the city will seek bids for the project in the fall. He said when work starts on Pomme Road in spring 2027, the road will be closed to through traffic.
“The road will be open to local traffic,” Pogorzelski said.
Pogorzelski said detour routes will be announced before work starts for the first phase.
The second phase of the Pomme Road improvement project will cover about 2,150 feet of Pomme Road between Rockview Lane and Valmont Drive. Arnold plans to reconstruct the road and install new curbs, gutters, sidewalks, curb ramp connections, stormwater facilities and retaining walls, city documents said.
Arnold received a $1,575,000 million STBG for the second phase of the Pomme Road improvements, which is estimated to cost $2.2. million.
Arnold will pay the cost not covered by the grants with money it receives from part of its share of the 1/2-cent countywide sales tax Jefferson County collects for road and bridge projects.
Pogorzelski said the two phases may overlap.
“It depends on how the timing falls,” he said.