Ehlmann, Officials Open New Gutermuth Road Bridge Over Phase 3 Page Extension

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2013           

Press Contact: Colene McEntee, Public Affairs Coordinator
(636) 949-1864, cmcentee@sccmo.org                                        

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO – St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Chief Engineer Ed Hassinger, and Cottleville Mayor Jim Hennessey celebrated the opening of the new Gutermuth Road bridge over the future Route 364 Page Avenue Extension at a ribbon cutting ceremony held Aug. 30 by MoDOT. The bridge is the first piece of construction to open on Phase 3 of the Route 364 Page Extension, and the road is expected to be open by early evening.

“Work on Phase 3 started this May and now we’re already celebrating the first construction milestone. MoDOT and Page Constructors are doing an amazing job. Citizens will certainly be happy when this phase opens next fall,” said Ehlmann.

Phase 3 of the Route 364 Page Extension is a $118.2 million roadway project that includes construction of a four-lane divided highway from Mid Rivers Mall Drive to I-64 and Route N in St. Charles County and is expected to be completed by Nov. 2014. The County and its municipalities teamed together to fund $57 million of the project, with MoDOT funding $61.2 million. The Gutermuth Road bridge is the first of 17 bridges to be built along Phase 3.

St. Charles County’s ½ cent Transportation Sales Tax, reauthorized by a 77% vote in Aug. 2012, provides $29,150,000 for the project. O’Fallon contributed $2.25 million to help with additional right-of-way costs, and Dardenne Prairie added $600,000 for improvements at Hanley Road. The County and its municipalities partnered with MoDOT to secure the federal grant funds necessary to complete the project.

When completed, Phase 3 will provide congestion relief for the residents of the central part of St. Charles County, make travel between St. Charles and Lake Saint Louis easier, and provide another route into St. Louis County. Phase 3 is also anticipated to improve the operation of I-64 and I-70 by reducing traffic and handling up to 50,000 cars per day.

In February, the design-build project was awarded to Page Constructors, a joint venture with Fred Weber Inc., Millstone Bangert Inc., and Kolb Grading, with Parsons Transportation serving as the lead designer. Construction began in May 2013.

Per MoDOT: Old Gutermuth Road will be closed as a through street later this fall. The closures will happen on either side of the state property for Route 364. All driveways and subdivisions will have access, but the overall street will no longer connect. The new Gutermuth Road bridge will continue to serve as the north-south connection in the area with the construction of Route 364.

For more information on the Route 364 project, visit www.modot.org/Route364.   

###