Upgrades to I-55 are included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program approved July 6 by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.
The Missouri Department of Transportation proposed the five-year STIP to improve state-maintained roads, which includes 1,803 highway and bridge projects, with 23 of those in Jefferson County.
“It’s a pretty good list,” said Stephen O’Connor, the MoDOT area engineer for Jefferson and Franklin counties.
He said the estimated cost for the Jefferson projects is $333,573,000, although such figures are unreliable.
“It’s a nationwide trend that construction projects are costing more,” he said. “Especially for projects that are three, four, five years down the road, we’re only using our best guesses. When we get closer to the actual construction, we’ll have to adjust those numbers.”
The highlight of the plan for Jefferson County remains a $236 million project to add a third lane on I-55 from 1 1/2 miles north of Hwy. Z near Pevely to 1 mile south of Hwy. 67 south of the Twin Cities.
On June 2, the Highways and Transportation Commission approved the concept for an additional lane on that stretch of I-55 as a design-build project, meaning that instead of the traditional method of contracting with an engineering firm and then soliciting bids from construction companies, engineering firms and construction companies would team up and present different ideas for a project. Then, the Highways and Transportation Commission chooses the best one.
According to MoDOT’s website, the design-build model allows for speed and flexibility, especially in projects that may have multiple solutions.
O’Connor said the I-55 project is still in its infancy.
“We’re still doing conceptual studies, laying out the footprint for the project that we can present. There are a couple of options at different intersections,” he said.
O’Connor said it’s likely construction would start next year.
“We’re looking at awarding the work in the middle of 2023, with construction to start later in 2023. As far as how long the project will take, it’s likely going to be 2 years, maybe 2 1/2 years. There are a lot of bridges in that stretch, and bridges take time,” he said.
O’Connor said while such details haven’t yet been discussed, he doesn’t foresee a full closure of I-55 while work is ongoing.
“I’d say it’s likely that work will be staggered, so you might see a lane closure, but I don’t think you’ll see a full closure,” he said. “Still, people who live and work in the area might want to consider alternate routes, like taking Hwy. A to Hwy. 21 or Hwy. 61-67.”
Bridges in Herculaneum, Arnold
Because of the plans for improvements on I-55, O’Connor said, another major county project – replacing the Hwy. 61-67 bridge over the Joachim Creek at Herculaneum – probably won’t start until the I-55 expansion project is well underway.
“We wouldn’t want to tie up I-55 and Hwy. 61-67 at the same time,” he said.
That project, estimated to cost $16,634,000, includes the repair of slopes along Hwy. 61-67 (Commercial Boulevard in Herculaneum) to prevent sliding from north of Herky-Horine Road to Joachim Avenue.
The other major project on I-55, repair of the bridge over the Meramec River at Arnold, is scheduled for 2024 or 2025. The estimated cost for that project is $14,640,000, O’Connor said.
“This is not going to be a bridge deck replacement or anything like that,” he said. “Bridge rehabilitation is making patches, fixing holes, anything needed to extend the life of the surface,” he said.
Most of the other county projects on the STIP fall into that category, O’Connor said.
“A lot of this work isn’t going to excite a lot of people, but they’re important to the people who live and work in the area,” he said. “MoDOT is big into maintaining its system so we can preserve what we have. If you don’t do that, you’ll end up spending more money down the road.”
The final approval of the list likely will come in August, when the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council of Governments, which oversees transportation funding in the St. Louis region, is expected to vote on the STIP.
For a complete list of the other projects on the STIP, see the accompanying list.
Other projects
HWY. 110: Rehabilitation of a bridge over the Joachim Creek and Union Pacific railroad tracks and another on Hwy. 61 over Rock Creek. Estimated cost: $1,888,000. Construction: 2025.
HWY. 21: Rehabilitate 17 bridges. Estimated cost: $13,885,000. Construction: July 2023 to June 2024.
HWY. 21: Resurface pavement and upgrade guardrails on 13.98 miles from Hwy. B in Hillsboro to the Washington County line. Estimated cost: $5,062,000. Construction: July 2025 to June 2026.
HWY. 231: Resurface pavement and upgrade guardrails along 2.19 miles from the Meramec River to Hwy. 61-67 in Arnold. Estimated cost: $1,091,000. Construction: July 2024 to June 2025.
HWY. 30: Resurface pavement and upgrade guardrails along 5.59 miles from Hwy. PP to the St. Louis County line. Estimated cost: $3,668,000. Construction: July 2026 to June 2027.
I-55: Replace structural signs from the Ste. Genevieve County line through Jefferson County to I-44 in St. Louis. Estimated cost: $4,921,000. Construction: July 2023 to June 2024.
I-55: Sealing decks on various bridges. Estimated cost: $1,711,000. Construction: 2024.
I-55: Bridge rehabilitation, pavement resurfacing and guardrail upgrades on four bridges on 4.09 miles between Hwy. M in Barnhart to Hwy. Z in Pevely. Estimated cost: $7,481,000. Construction: 2023.
HWY. 61-67: Add center turn lane and resurface pavement on 1.08 miles from Brandon Wallace Way to Sixth Street in Crystal City. Estimated cost: $3,416,000. Construction: 2024.
HWY. 61-67: Resurfacing pavement, upgrading guardrails and pedestrian crossings to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act on 10.97 miles from Hwy. M in Barnhart to Hwy. 67 south of Festus. Estimated cost: $13,389,000. Construction: 2024.
HWY. 61-67: Add traffic signals and turn lanes at Miller Road and St. John’s Church Road in Arnold. Estimated cost: $2,026,000. Construction: July 2023 to June 2024.
HWY. A: Resurfacing pavement and replacing signals on 1.09 miles from Collins Road to Hwy. 61-67 in Festus and Crystal City. Estimated cost: $1,323,000. Construction: 2023.
HWY. C: Resurfacing and repairing pavement and upgrading guardrails on 4.66 miles from Hwy. B in Morse Mill to Hwy. Y in Ware. Estimated cost: $1,898,000. Construction: 2024.
HWY. CC: Pavement resurfacing and guardrail upgrades on 5.74 miles from Hwy. 67 south of Festus to Hwy. 110 in Olympian Village. Estimated cost: $1,404,000. Construction: 2024.
HWY. M: Add J-turns at St. Luke’s Church Road and Moss Hollow Road in Barnhart. Estimated cost: $1,764,000. Construction: Early 2023.
HWY. M: Resurfacing of 6.73 miles from Hwy. 21 in Otto to Metropolitan Boulevard in Barnhart. Estimated cost: $1,786,000. Construction: 2024.
HWY. MM: Repaving surface and guardrail upgrades on 4.34 miles from Hwy. 30 to Buckeye Valley Road between House Springs and Otto. Estimated cost: $2,356,000. Construction: 2023 or 2024.
HWY. P: Pavement resurfacing and repairs and guardrail upgrades on 8.62 miles from Hwy. A west of Festus to Hwy. 110 in De Soto. Estimated cost: $1,446,000. Construction: 2024.
HWY. PP: Pavement resurfacing and repairs and guardrail upgrades of 2.16 miles from Byrnes Mill Road to Hwy. 30. Estimated cost: $719,000. Construction: 2025 or early 2026.
HWY. T: Rehabilitation of bridge over Plattin Creek south of Festus. Estimated cost: $313,000. Construction: 2024.