Overview

On December 10, 2004, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC) approved the design location for a new Route 40 Missouri River bridge at its meeting today in Kansas City. The approval marks the end of several years of engineering work and a public environmental process to determine the best location for an additional bridge connecting St. Charles and St. Louis counties. St. Charles County advanced the funding to pay for this study.

The approved design provides a new four-lane bridge over the Missouri River upstream of the existing bridges. The new bridge would carry eastbound Route 40 traffic. The existing eastbound bridge, which was built in 1985, will be restriped to carry westbound traffic. The existing westbound bridge, which was built in 1935, will carry westbound outer road traffic. The estimated cost for the improvements is $168 million.

“The approval of the design location for a new river crossing marks a major step toward a future improvement for travelers in western St. Charles and St. Louis counties," said St. Charles County Executive Joe Ortwerth. "I’m pleased St. Charles County could assist in funding this study which brings us closer to the reality of another bridge. As the growth in the west continues so will the demands on Route 40."

MoDOT took the most recent step in the overall process in late 2006, awarding a contract to Hanson Professional Services, Inc., to determine which type of bridge will be most effective as well as the preliminary planning for roadway and bridge design. This planning portion should take several years. When additional funds are available, the next step will be developing Right of Way plans.

"Building a major river bridge takes a long time to plan and build," said MoDOT District Engineer Ed Hassinger. "We are pleased to see the project reach another milestone in that process."

Project Overview

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has completed a Location Study/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to determine the best way to improve the Missouri River crossing on U.S. 40/I-64 between St. Louis and St. Charles counties. This study began in June 2001 and focused on evaluating the corridor’s current and projected traffic needs, safety, condition of the existing bridges, effects to the natural and human environments, and public involvement. The study was completed in early 2004. The record of decision was published in November 2004 and the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission approved the study in December 2004.

The Location Study Process

MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) when major transportation projects are expected to have significant impacts to the environment. Detailed evaluation of ways to lessen these impacts must be conducted and documented.

In 2004, the U.S. Route 40/61 Daniel Boone Bridge project reached an important milestone: The Daniel Boone Bridge team has published the Draft Final Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS). The Draft FEIS has been submitted to the FHWA for review and approval. The study team will address all comments returned by FHWA.

An Environmental Impact Statement documents the possible impacts a major project such as the Daniel Boone Bridge will have on various aspects of both the natural and built environments. Environmental documentation is required in all projects built with federal money. Funding has not yet been identified for the Daniel Boone Bridge project.

Members of the public were able to see that the DEIS answered many questions. A project as significant for the St. Louis region as Daniel Boone Bridge requires judicious planning—and that means taking the time to incorporate community input and feedback to develop the best design possible. Over the past four years, the Daniel Boone Bridge project team has engaged the public to help determine the issues important to the communities that the Daniel Boone Bridge serves. The Daniel Boone Bridge team has had many meetings with municipalities, the counties, and the public.

“The public’s input has been invaluable to the success of this project," said District Engineer Ed Hassinger.

Issues

These are some of the issues addressed by the study:

• Traffic and congestion. Drivers crossing the bridges on a daily basis would agree that congestion is a problem. Current and projected traffic volumes require three lanes, an auxiliary lane, and full shoulders in each direction.
• Condition of the existing bridges and safety. Both bridges are safe for motorists and undergo regular maintenance by MoDOT. However, the westbound bridge (built in 1935) has substandard lane widths and lacks shoulders. The eastbound bridge (built in 1985) also lacks adequate shoulders.
• Environmental impacts. As mentioned above, the study team must examine the effects of a new river crossing on environmental factors such as natural resources, wetlands, archaeological sites, and agricultural, public, and private land use.
• Engineering and cost considerations. What is the most efficient and least costly way to construct a new bridge and approach roadways?

Preferred Option

The study team developed five preliminary alignment options for a new river crossing. All of the options include a new bridge structure across the Missouri River, to be placed either upstream or downstream of the two existing bridges. The existing eastbound bridge remains in use under all five options. Some traffic would continue to use the existing westbound bridge with three options. Two options would remove the existing westbound bridge.

Construction of a new four-lane bridge structure on the upstream side of the existing eastbound bridge over the Missouri River on U.S. 40/61 with the continued use of both existing bridges, and associated roadway and interchange improvements from a point approximately 1,200 feet east of the Chesterfield Airport Road interchange in St. Louis County to the Missouri Research Park interchange in St. Charles County, for a total project length of approximately 2.1 miles.

The new structure upstream of the existing bridges will provide four lanes with standard shoulders. The existing eastbound bridge will carry three westbound lanes. The existing westbound bridge will carry the traffic from Chesterfield Airport Road and a possible future westbound outer road across the river where the traffic will merge with the mainline U.S. 40/61.

These options will be included in the 2007 process of determining appropriate bridge type and preliminary bridge and roadway design.

Cost and Construction

MoDOT estimates the cost of a new bridge structure and approach roadways to be $170 million in 2007 dollars.

At this time, there is still no funding scheduled to complete this project – without a closer analysis of the types of funding coming into the St. Louis region, it is difficult to determine where the Daniel Boone Bridge project stands in terms of funding. But, in order to make sure that this important improvement to the I-40/61 corridor is ready to go when funding becomes available, MoDOT is continuing the process to prepare for construction.

If you have questions or comments about the study or about the bridge, please call MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MODOT, or contact one of the MoDOT team members listed below.

Need More Information?

Thomas Montes-De-Oca, MoDOT Project Manager, 1-888-ASK-MODOT
Drew Gates, Community Relations Specialist, 1-888-ASK-MODOT