The northbound I-55 off-ramp at Exit 170 in the Jefferson R-7 area will be closed to traffic until spring 2027 to allow construction crews to build a new roundabout.
The off-ramp was closed beginning Monday, Oct. 26.
The closure is 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.
Jefferson County, which is leading Project Redbird, will pay $2,436,993.85 to Gershenson Construction Co. Inc. of Eureka to construct a roundabout where Hwy. 61, River Cement Road and the northbound I-55 Exit 170 ramps meet, 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.
The project includes new concrete and asphalt pavement, striping and signage.
Lane Harness, the county’s project manager for Project Redbird, said the off-ramp will remain closed until spring 2027, depending on the weather.
“With how weather-dependent construction is, we do not have an exact date,” Harness said. “In order to build the improvements, portions of the Hwy. 61 and I-55 northbound ramps will be fully removed and rebuilt. We are able to keep Hwy. 61 open with the phasing, but cannot keep the ramp areas open due to the limits of the physical construction of the improvements and for the safety of the workers.”
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.
The roundabout is expected to be completed in September 2027.
The Missouri Department of Transportation said in an Oct. 19 statement that message boards will be in place to notify drivers of the closure and any detour information.
“Motorists should expect delays and allow extra travel time while work is underway,” MoDOT stated.
Project Redbird
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.
In the same year, county officials announced Project Redbird, a multiphase construction plan. Phase 1 of three planned phases 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.
According to county officials in a recent newsletter, work on VFW Drive is nearly complete, and focus is turning to the southern part of Phase 2.
“With more than 2,000 cubic yards of concrete placed over the past several months and additional pours still ahead, the North Job (northern part of Phase 2) is nearing completion,” the newsletter stated. “Major milestones include the replacement of three railroad crossings at St. Pius Drive, Airport Road and Calvary Church Road.”
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. Construction on the concrete girder bridge began in the spring. It will cost $3,721,594.81 to build the road and bridge.
“As of August 2026, the bridge deck was poured and fill work was nearly complete,” the newsletter stated. “This progress marked a major step toward completing the South Phase 2 project. Once the bridge is finished, crews will pave the road and complete final grading throughout the project area.
“The project remains on track for completion this fall.”