Friday MoDOT and contractor Millstone Bangert, Inc. broke ground on the Interstate 55 widening project in Jefferson County in a ceremony at the old weigh station south of Route M.  The $15 million project is funded by  the American Recovery and Reinvestment (ARRA).

     MoDOT St. Louis District Engineer Ed Hassinger opened the ceremony praising the contributions of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, in particular Commissioner Grace Nichols who was in attendance.

     "You know MoDOT has got some funding challenges going forward, as it relates to our state funding and the uncertainty of our federal funding, and we put in place a new five-year plan for us to continue to provide outstanding customer service," Hassinger said.  "The people that are leading that effort  is our commission.  They are the people that make the big picture decisions that allows MoDOT to do great things."

     Congressman Russ Carnahan told those who attended the ceremony that this project and others like it around the country are all about job creation.  Carnahan said that the project is expected to create more than 500 jobs and grow the economy, citing estimates of 172 jobs in direct construction, 78 jobs in indirect employment including supporting industries, and more than 250 in induced employment support by consumer expenditure . 

     "It's going to help transform this economy into jobs connecting this key corridor, this key artery for our region," Carnahan said.  "We have got to have a network of highways that work, that are safe, that connect people to the jobs, that connect us to our other public transportation in the cities, to rail, to river, this is all part of our region being a key transportation hub and connecting our region going forward."

     State Rep. Jeff Roorda spoke about safety improvements the project would provide, from a personal perspective.  He said that living close to where the project begins, he hears sirens every night.

     "It means real lives being saved," Roorda said.  "It means families avoiding the tragedies caused by the bottleneck we have here going from four lanes to two."

     State Rep. Ron Casey spoke about Jefferson County's population growth.

     "Let me say that I grew up in Festus, and when this interstate was built, 1969, Jefferson County's population by census was 105,000 people, where today we are at 220,000 projected East-West Gateway numbers," Casey said.

     Jefferson County Executive Chuck Banks said that the project is a perfect use  of stimulus money.

     "This is putting people to work to build this project, and the investment will put people to work once it's completed," Banks said.  "It will mean a safe ride to work for the citizens of Jefferson County."

     Jefferson County Executive Pat Lamping added his praise for the project.

     "These are the projects that make our county what it is today - a great place to live, a great place to work, and a wonderful place to raise a family," Lamping said.

     The project will add one lane to I-55 between Route M in Barnhart and Route Z in Pevely as well as replacing two bridges over Route M and Glaize Creek.