Politics & Government

St. Charles County Lays Blueprint for $180 million in Road Improvements in Five-Year Plan

Capital Improvement plan includes Page extension, Mid Rivers Mall, Arena Parkway and traffic signal improvements.

Smoother flowing traffic for those crossing the Missouri River, on Interstate 70 and Highway 364 is key to several projects listed in the St. Charles County’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

Road repair, maintenance and construction makes up $180 million of the 249.6 million in projects from 2012 through 2015 designated in the CIP. The St. Charles County Council approved the CIP, a five-year capital improvement planning tool, at their Aug. 29 meeting.

Some of the more immediate transportation projects in 2012 will be the Gateway Greenlight project, said Transportation Director John Greifzu.

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“We’ll be working diligently to coordinate the various signalized intersections in St. Charles County,” Greifzu said. “We’re targeting Mexico Road, Muegge Road and other major arterial roads that crisscross the county.”

He said some longer, heavily traveled arterial roads have MoDOT-, county- and city-controlled signals. The Gateway Greenway project will coordinate those signals to allow for less stopping and more efficient travel.

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A smaller project will be directed to reduce traffic connected with the Blanchette Bridge closure in late 2012 at Arena Parkway, South River Road and Friedens Road. Greifzu said the county will use a creative design called a continuous green T-intersection at the interchange.

 “The benefit is that if you’re coming in from the evening rush from Page Avenue, that flow of traffic will have a continuous flow onto Fifth Street, to the casino or the Main Street area,” Greifzu said.

There still will be a signalized intersection at Friedens and South River Road, he said.

 “We want folks to be able to use Page Avenue and still have good access into the St. Charles area,” he said. “We feel this intersection will be a key in coping with the bridge closure.”

Highway 364, Mid-Rivers improvements

Other key projects in the CIP for 2012 are:

  • A $12.5 million cost-sharing project with MoDOT and St. Peters to improve the .

“It should eliminate the bottleneck at Mid Rivers Mall Drive,” Greifzu said.

The project includes an additional westbound lane on Interstate 70 to connect with Highway 79.

“In 2012, we are going to be paying our down payment on phase 3 for the Page Extension,” said Finance Director Bob Schnur.

That accounts for $25 million of the $68.3 million worth of transportation projects listed for 2012.

 “That money will help kick start right-of-way acquisition for Phase 3. If we hadn’t been able to come up with this money, phase 3 would have sat there for a while,” Greifzu said.

The project will take Highway 364 from Mid Rivers Mall Drive to Interstate 64.

Schnur said that budget estimates for projects were frontloaded in 2012 and likely will spill over into 2013 as ongoing projects or some projects get pushed back.

The CIP is a planning tool that provides a blueprint on capital projects over the next five years based on revenue projections. A copy of the CIP is available in the County Clerk's office at the County Executive Building, 300 North Third St. in St. Charles.


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