Beginning early next year, traffic will be snarled for a year or so along Hwy. 61-67 between Arnold and Barnhart and for about two years on I-55 between Pevely and the Ste. Genevieve County line while the Missouri Department of Transportation makes improvements along those stretches.
Work on both projects probably will begin in March, MoDOT area engineer Judy Wagner said.
Crews will resurface the pavement on both sides of Hwy. 61-67 between Church Road in Arnold and Hwy. M in Barnhart, and that project is scheduled to be complete in December 2017, Wagner said.
On I-55, crews will resurface the pavement on both sides between Hwy. Z in Pevely and Ste. Genevieve County, and that work is expected to be finished in late 2018, MoDOT reported.
A $3,126,139 construction contract recently was awarded to Magruder Paving LLC for the Hwy. 61-67 project, Wagner said.
That project calls for the stretch to be “cold milled and resurfaced with new pavement,” she said.
Bids for the I-55 project were opened on Dec. 16, and Troy-based Magruder Paving, submitted a $14,653.473 bid, the lowest of six bids, Wagner said.
The state Highways and Transportation Commission is scheduled on Jan. 6 to review the bids for the I-55 project and possibly award one, Wagner said.
For that project, crews will “mill out the pavement” along the stretch of I-55 and then replace it, she said.
Bridges along that stretch will be improved, with some being resurfaced and some getting overlay, Wagner said.
In addition, guardrails along that stretch will be repaired or replaced, depending on their condition, she said.
“Some work will be done in 2017 and part in 2018,” Wagner said.
She said there will be lane closures throughout the I-55 project, but most of those will be at night and on weekends, when traffic is lower.
“But, it’s still going to be a mess,” Wagner said. “Most of the work will take place at night. However, some lane closures will take place during the day during non-rush hours.”
Wagner advises motorists to use Hwy. 21 or Hwy. 61-67 during the I-55 project to avoid traffic delays.
Those two projects are just a few scheduled over the next two years in Jefferson County.
Work to improve the intersection at Hwy. 141 and Ridgewood Middle School west of Arnold is expected to begin next summer and be completed later in the year, according to MoDOT.
Drainage improvements along Hwy. 21 at Lake Lorraine in the Hillsboro area are scheduled to start in the summer of 2017 and be completed late in 2017.
A new signal will be installed at Old Hwy. 21 and Konert Road between Arnold and Fenton, and that project is expected to begin next summer and be finished by the end of the year.
In 2018, pavement improvements are scheduled along the stretch of I-55 between Hwy. M in Barnhart and Hwy. Z in Pevely, beginning that spring and finishing at the end of the year.
Work to improve the intersection of highways 21 and 110 in the De Soto area is scheduled to start early in 2018 and be completed late that year.
Pavement improvements will be made on Hwy. 30 between the St. Louis County line and Hwy. PP in High Ridge, with that work to start in spring 2018 and be finished late the same year.
In addition, improvements are scheduled to begin in the summer of 2018 to three intersections along Hwy. 67 – at Flucom Road in the De Soto area and at Montauk Drive and Victoria Road, both in the Festus area. That work is scheduled to be completed in early 2019, MoDOT reports.