The replacement of a bridge in Herculaneum and the rehabilitation of a bridge in the Arnold area are among the proposed projects included in the Missouri Department of Transportation’s five-year plan for improvements to roads and bridges maintained by the state, according to a draft MoDOT recently released.
According to the draft of the plan, called the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), it includes $13.8 billion in transportation-related projects around the state from 2025 to 2029. The projects will be covered by both federal and state funds.
MoDOT announced the proposed plan to the public on May 1 and is accepting public comments about the list of projects through May 31. The plan may be reviewed at modot.org/DRAFTSTIP, and comments may be made by email to STIPcomments@modot.mo.gov, by phone by calling 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636) or by mail to Transportation Planning, Program Comments, P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, 65102.
The comments will be summarized and presented to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission following the public review period. After reviewing the summary and proposed plan, it will be considered for approval on July 10, according to MoDOT.
“We look at every comment,” said Stephen O’Connor, area engineer for Jefferson and Franklin counties. “There are none that are too big or too small. We want to make sure we are not missing anything. I think that is expected of us to do. We will review the comments to make sure we are on the same page.”
Jefferson County
The draft of the plan includes 13 projects in Jefferson County totaling an estimated $102,777,000.
The two most expensive projects are the replacement of the bridge on Hwy. 61-67 (Commercial Boulevard) over Joachim Creek in Herculaneum and the rehabilitation of the I-55 bridge over the Meramec River in the Arnold area that connects Jefferson and St. Louis counties.
The Hwy. 61-67 project will cost an estimated $21,449,000, and the I-55 project will cost approximately $19,252,000. MoDOT expects to award contracts for those projects in 2025.
However, O’Connor said the Hwy. 61-67 bridge project may be delayed depending on the progress of a $246 million project to add a third lane in each direction on I-55 in Jefferson County, from 1 1/2 miles north of Hwy. Z in Pevely to 1 mile south of Hwy. 67 south of the Twin Cities.
KCI Construction Co. of St. Louis started work on the interstate expansion project in January. Two lanes of traffic on I-55 are expected to be kept open in both directions during construction, especially during the day, but traffic may have to be directed off the interstate in some areas while bridge work is underway, officials said.
The work to add the lanes on I-55 is anticipated to be complete by December 2026.
“That could move depending on how fast I-55 gets done,” O’Connor said of the Hwy. 61-67 bridge project. “We don’t want both going on at the same time.”
O’Connor said the improvements to the bridge over the Meramec River in the Arnold area include replacing expansion devices, placing an overlay on the bridge deck and completing miscellaneous repairs.
He said the steel girders will be painted as part of a later project.
“Some of the cost (for the bridge improvements) will deal with traffic control. It’s a heavily used bridge,” O’Connor said.
At $18,943,000, the third most expensive Jefferson County project included in the proposed five-year plan is a pavement project on Hwy. 61-67 from Hwy. M in Barnhart to Hwy. 67 south of Festus.
In addition to resurfacing that 11-mile stretch, the proposed project includes upgrades to guardrails and pedestrian access along the highway.
Other projects in the draft
The following is a list of the other proposed projects in Jefferson County. MoDOT assigns projects for specific budget years, which run from July 1 to June 30. The estimated costs for the projects include construction work, engineering and land acquisition:
■ Hwy. 110/Hwy. 61-67/Hwy. T: Rehabilitation of a bridge over the Joachim Creek and Union Pacific railroad tracks near De Soto; another on Hwy. 61-67 over Rock Creek and a third over Plattin Creek on Hwy. T south of Festus.
Estimated cost: $2,858,000
Construction: 2028
■ Hwy. 21/Hwy. N (Rock Road): Resurface pavement and upgrade guardrails on 14.91 miles from Hwy. B in Hillsboro to the Washington County line and on Hwy. N (Rock Road) from Hwy. 21 to Donnelly Street in De Soto.
Estimated cost: $10,582,000
Construction: 2025
■ Hwy. 231 (Telegraph Road): Resurface pavement and upgrade guardrails along 2.19 miles from the Meramec River to Hwy. 61-67 in Arnold.
Estimated cost: $1,558,000
Construction: 2025
■ Hwy. 30: Resurface and repair pavement, upgrade guardrails and replace signage along 7.9 miles from Hwy. PP in High Ridge to the St. Louis County line and from Byrnes Mill Road to Hwy. 30.
Estimated cost: $6,198,000
Construction: 2027
■ I-55: Replace structural signs along 43.2 miles from south of Hwy. TT near the Ste. Genevieve County line through Jefferson County to I-44 in St. Louis.
Estimated cost: $7,188,00
Construction: 2024
■ I-55/Hwy. 50: Pavement preservation treatment on I-55 from Hwy. 141 in Arnold to Hwy. M in Barnhart and on eastbound Hwy. 50 from Denmark Street to west of I-44 in the Union area in Franklin County.
Estimated cost: $955,000
Construction: 2026
■ Hwy. 61-67 (Truman Boulevard): Add center turn lane and resurface pavement on 1.08 miles from Brandon Wallace Way in Festus to Sixth Street in Crystal City.
Estimated cost: $4,975,000
Construction: 2025
■ Hwy. CC: Pavement resurfacing and guardrail upgrades on 5.6 miles from Hwy. 67 south of Festus to Hwy. 110 in Olympian Village.
Estimated cost: $2,215,000
Construction: 2025
■ Hwy. M: Resurfacing of 7.31 miles from Hwy. 21 in Otto to Metropolitan Boulevard in Barnhart.
Estimated cost: $2,577,000
Construction: 2027
■ Hwy. MM: Repaving surface and guardrail upgrades on 4.34 miles from Hwy. 30 to Buckeye Valley Road in House Springs.
Estimated cost: $4,027,000
Construction: 2025