Champ Clark Bridge Replacement on State’s Proposed Five-Year Plan

Missouri says it’s found the dollars to replace the Champ Clark Bridge at Louisiana.

The project is included on a wide-ranging list of proposed construction over the next five years. It’s called the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. A public comment period runs through June 10th, and state regulators will vote on it July 7th.

The announcement comes after years of lobbying by Pike County leaders and a deadly 2011 accident that prompted a federal lawsuit. The project is one of Missouri’s top transportation priorities.

The replacement will cost more than 60 million dollars and be built just south of the 88-year-old Champ Clark Bridge. Missouri plans to commit at least 28 million dollars as its share, with Illinois picking up the rest.

An environmental study has been completed and approved by the Federal Highway Administration. A cost-saving construction method called design-and-build will be used. There’s no timetable for construction, but a federal grant that’s helping to offset the cost must be obligated by September 2017.

Other Pike County projects on the five-year list include upgrading the Highway 61 overpass near Bowling Green, replacing two bridges on Route D near Louisiana and improving letter route bridges near Annada, Bowling Green, Clarksville, Curryville and Louisiana.

Elsewhere in Northeast Missouri, the program calls for resurfacing almost 300 miles of roads, replacing both Highway 61 bridges at Troy and maintenance work on Mississippi River bridges at Hannibal and Quincy.