October 29, 2014
Contact: Colene McEntee, Public Affairs Coordinator, 636-949-1864, cmcentee@sccmo.org
St. Charles County, Missouri – St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, along with Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Chairman Stephen Miller, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) District Engineer Greg Horn, MoDOT St. Charles County Engineer Tom Evers, City of St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano, and other local officials will celebrate the completion of Phase 3 of the Route 364 Page Avenue Extension at a ribbon cutting ceremony held by MoDOT at 10 a.m. on Oct. 31 at Route K and Route 364. Earlier this month on Oct. 5, the section of Phase 3 from I-64 to Route K opened to commuters. The remainder of Phase 3 from Route K to Mid Rivers Mall Drive will open sometime during the weekend of Oct. 31.
“It is amazing to see that, after a 45-year effort, the entire Page Extension is finally complete,” said Ehlmann. “A lot of people thought this would never happen, and a lot of people put a tremendous amount of work into making sure it did happen. Hearing so many citizens say how the Page Extension helps their commute, and how they are looking forward to the full opening of Phase 3, makes all the effort worthwhile.” Phase 1 of the Page Extension, which extends from I-270 to west of Jungs Station Road and includes the Veterans Memorial Bridge, opened in December 2003. Phase 2, which included construction from Jungs Station to Mid Rivers Mall Drive, opened in August 2012.
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 in St. Charles County. County Executive Steve Ehlmann worked with Ed Hassinger, Chief Engineer for MoDOT; Grace Nichols, Outgoing Chair of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission; Don Boehmer, Assistant Director of Administration - Intergovernmental Affairs for St. Charles County; and John Greifzu, Transportation Director for St. Charles County, to bring Phases 2 and 3 of the Page Extension to fruition. The County and its municipalities teamed together to fund $57 million of the Phase 3 project, with MoDOT funding $61.2 million. 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, as well.
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. When the phase is complete, travel from Mid Rivers Mall Drive to I-64 is expected to take just seven minutes. It is anticipated with the completion of the Route 364 Page Avenue Extension that some motorists will decide to travel it for their commutes instead of I-70 and I-64, which will help to reduce congestion on those interstates. In addition, it is estimated that motorists who decide to use the extension from O’Fallon to I-270 will save approximately five minutes during their morning commute. Further, the completion of the extension means that more than 70% of the jobs available in the St. Louis region will be within a 45 minute commute from St. Charles County.
In February 2013, the design-build project was awarded to Page Constructors, a joint venture with Millstone Weber and Kolb Grading, with Parsons Transportation serving as the lead designer. Construction began in May 2013.
For more information on Phase 3 of the Route 364 Page Avenue Extension, visit www.modot.org/Route364.
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