Drivers along Interstate 44 between Rolla and St. James have been putting up with construction delays for more than two years. They will have to wait longer for an end to the $50 million reconstruction of lanes in both directions that includes widening the shoulders to meet current interstate standards.
Missouri Department of Transportation inspectors found problems with the joints in the concrete on the reconstructed eastbound lanes and how they connect into steel reinforcements.
That means all of the lanes will not be reopened by the end of September as planned.
“We are working with the contractor. They are doing their own independent testing with a third party to see how widespread the problem is,” said Eric Abbott, MODOT’s resident engineer at the St. James project office. “After they get that data we will talk to them about the corrective action that needs to be taken.”
Abbott said the contractor would be responsible for any cost overruns related to the repairs, and he characterized the problem as “an oversight.”
Over the winter the stretch of interstate saw numerous accidents and semi-trucks sliding into the median as lanes were rerouted. Abbot said those issues are top of mind as MODOT looks to resolve the problems.
“With the traffic shift in place right now and winter months are just a few months away, those are things that we're taking into consideration when we meet with the contractor to determine what the fix is going to be and how long they're going have to do it or when we want them to do it,” Abbott said.
The 2½-year project has had only a slight impact on the local economy, according to Dale Martin, executive director of the Rolla Regional Economic Commission.
“We had a few complaints early on and St. James businesses suffered a little bit at the very beginning when it was really hard to get on and off the interstate there,” Martin said. “But I think we’ve handled about as well as a community can.”
Martin said the main artery into the St. Louis area from the southwest carries a lot of local traffic as well as being a significant cross-country trucking route.
But he isn’t concerned about the delay and said the inconvenience will be worth it.
“I-44 is key to our long-term success and economic growth. It’s vital we get it right. A couple more months won’t mean that much in the long run,” he said.
MODOT also acknowledges the delay is undesirable but is focusing on longevity.
“We want to have a quality product that's going to hold up long term. And with some of the issues that we found with our inspections out there, it raised a red flag that we need to look into this further,” Abbott said.
