The third part of Project Redbird, a multi-governmental effort to improve the transportation network around the former Festus Memorial Airport in Crystal City in preparation for the construction of the James Hardie manufacturing plant, will begin on Monday, Oct. 5.
Phase 3 will focus on a new roundabout, connecting motorists to Hwy. 61, River Cement Road and the northbound I-55 Exit 170 ramps.
The project includes new concrete and asphalt pavement, striping and signage, according to a Sept. 21 statement from Jefferson County Public Works.
Project manager Lane Harness previously said the roundabout will give heavy vehicle traffic coming from the James Hardie site another way to access Hwy. 61 and I-55.
State and local officials announced in 2022 that James Hardie is planning to build a 1.25 million-square-foot facility on and around the former Festus Municipal Airport property to manufacture fiber cement, siding and trim and other building products. The facility, off Airport Road, is expected to generate about 230 jobs.
The county will pay $2,436,993.85 to Gershenson Construction Co., Inc. of Eureka to construct the roundabout, with 100 percent of the cost covered by state funding. Gershenson was the lowest of five bidders for the project, according to Public Works documents.
Harness said there will be partial road closures and lane shifts during construction, which is expected to wrap up in September 2027. About 6,676 motorists drive through the area daily, according to data collected in 2025 and provided by Public Works.
“The partial closure in this instance refers to single lane closures or traffic control (cones, temporary striping, etc.) that will allow for traffic to still use the route,” he said. “There are the interchange ramps at Exit 170 of I-55 and River Cement Road as secondary routes. These may be closed during certain phases of the project, and a detour will be placed when applicable.”
Previous phases
Phase 1 was completed in December 2024, when construction crews rebuilt the aging and crumbling Airport Road and portions of Castle Acres Road, River Cement Road and Calvary Church Road, near Mercy Hospital Jefferson, to withstand heavy industrial traffic.
The county used a $7.2 million grant from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission that was included in the 2024 state budget to help pay for the Phase 1 construction costs. The county was required to provide a 100 percent local match for the grant and designated $7.25 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for the project back in 2020.
Any remaining funds from Phase 1 are being used in Phase 2, along with another $12 million set aside for the project in the state budget.
Phase 2, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, includes roadwork north and south of Plattin Creek, and expands on improvements made in Phase 1.
In the northern part of Phase 2, Goodwin Brothers Construction crews worked to rebuild a portion of VFW Drive, from the St. Pius Spur to just beyond the Jefferson Memorial VFW Post 3777, 900 VFW Drive, and raise the road above the floodplain before the school year began at St. Pius X High School.
The road was raised about one to two feet higher near St. Pius Drive and about 12 feet higher near the VFW hall’s pond.
In the southern part of Phase 2, Goodwin Brothers are connecting Calvary Church Road to Castle Acres Road, creating a new outer road that will connect to River Cement Road and the Phase 3 roundabout.
The largest part of South Phase 2 will be the construction of a 235-foot bridge over Plattin Creek on the new portion of the outer road, Harness said. Construction on the concrete girder bridge began in the spring.
It will cost $3,721,594.81 to build the road and bridge. This portion of Phase 2 will likely be finished by the end of the year, with Harness adding that Phase 2 is about 90 percent completed as of Sept. 24.