MoDOT Presents Number of Projects for North County Area

Temperatures are rising and so are the number of construction and road projects in Florissant. 

The Missouri Department of Transportation’s North County area representative spoke to the Florissant City Council Monday night regarding the number of upcoming spring and summer projects happening throughout the area.

Larry Welty, the MoDOT area engineer for North County, spoke to the council and to the public about the Coldwater Creek Bridge project, the Interstate 270 project as well as the I-270 North Study.

The 2011 projects for Florissant and the North County area include:

• The Coldwater Creek Bridge Project will focus on improving Pershall Road and I-270. Each will have support repairs to the road structures. For Pershall, the construction starts on April 25 and will include the road being closed for 50 days with a detour onto I-270. The I-270 construction begins in July, and it will be done on nights and weekends.
• Concrete smoothing and resurfacing will begin to take place on I-270 as another phase of the projects. The concrete smoothing will take place at the 170 interchange and at U.S. 67 in St. Charles. That construction begins on Aug. 31. The microsurfacing, or the resurfacing of the highway, will increase friction for cars, and it will begin in July.
• The I-270 North study will try to “identify and define transportation needs” of the highway. MoDOT will seek recommendations from the public throughout the study with a number of speeches and presentations as well as public meetings. Ultimately, the study will recommend solutions to improve the interstate, but there would have to be a few other steps before any of the solutions could be fully carried out, such as an environmental document study and funding.

Welty also presented a number of other projects happening throughout the county area, such as the Blanchette Bridge project, the rehabilitation of Interstate 170 and construction of the Lindbergh Interchange.

He emphasized that the improvements that will be made aren’t long-term solutions. MoDOT needs more funding before moving forward with anything that could be more substantial.

Welty pleaded that residents and citizens of Florissant and Missouri to get involved to help MoDOT get more funding.

Ward 7 City Councilwoman Karen McKay asked for residents to attend the upcoming public meetings so that their voices are heard throughout the I-270 North Study process. 

MoDOT will hold its first public meeting on Thursday at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the student center multipurpose room.