Safety was the word of the day at a ceremony held March 8 to celebrate the start of the long-anticipated project to expand I-55 in both directions between Hwy. Z in Pevely and Hwy. 67 south of Festus.
Justin Wolf, project director for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), said the major goal behind the $246 million project is to “maximize safety.
“When complete, this project will transform I-55 for everyone who uses this corridor,” he said.
State Rep. Ken Waller (R-Herculaneum), who noted that most of the project goes through his 114th District, said safety should be kept in mind throughout the project, which is expected to be completed in late 2026.
He went on to caution motorists to be watchful when going through construction zones, noting the workers in hard hats from KCI Construction Co. in St. Louis County, the builder on the project, in attendance.
“People will be upset when they come to closed entrances and exits and slow traffic, but as the saying goes, ‘No pain, no gain.’ There will be some pain in this, but in the end, it will be worth it,” Waller said. “Just be patient and be careful.”
Tom Huster, president of KCI Construction, echoed those sentiments.
“We ask for your patience for the next two or three years,” he said. “Go home and tell your neighbors, anybody you see to slow down in work zones. Not just here (on the I-55 project) but anywhere. Slow down. We want to bring this project home safely.”
Huster noted that many of his employees live in Jefferson County.
Wolf and several speakers pointed out that work already has begun on the project.
The ceremony, which originally was scheduled to be held on a gravel lot next to the Herculaneum commuter lot on McNutt Road, was moved to the Herculaneum Fire Department because of rainy weather.
Patrick McKenna, director of MoDOT, said the I-55 expansion project is the fifth-largest project the department will oversee in the past 15 years.
“It’s desperately needed and long overdue,” he said. “I’m so excited to get to this point.”
State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold) noted that the I-55 corridor through Jefferson County is unique.
“Anybody who travels up the I-55 corridor will see that the peak traffic time isn’t necessarily during the traditional rush hour, but from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. That’s because Jefferson County residents are building the rest of the region. Jefferson County residents are the nurses and the construction workers.”
She and other elected officials credited former state Rep. Becky Ruth, now the director of the Missouri Office of Child Advocate, for championing the I-55 project while she chaired the House Transportation Committee.
“She and (the current chair of the committee) Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway (R-Festus) always make sure Jefferson County is in the conversation when it comes to roads and bridges,” said state Rep. Phil Amato (R-Arnold).
Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon also credited Ruth with getting the ball rolling on the project.
“She said that we really needed to push this,” he said.
Buchheit-Courtway said the project will help Jefferson County continue to grow.
“Seeing our little county growing so much, with highway projects and the (Herculaneum container) port project, it’s so great to be part of this,” she said.
State Sen. Elaine Freeman Gannon (R-De Soto) said the ceremonial groundbreaking is the culmination of a long process.
“Most of us here have been talking about this project for how many years, but now it’s happening,” she said. “We all want to see it happen.”