Bids in for major Jefferson City road project

Bids are in for the biggest road project MoDOT is handling in Mid-Missouri.

A bid for the new Lafayette Interchange in Jefferson City could be approved within the next month.

Emery Sapp and Sons of Columbia put in the lowest bid to complete the project.

MoDOT received 4 competitive bids to do the job. Emery Sapp and Sons came in at $20.3 million.

ABC 17 News found the bids were opened just a few days ago, and the lowest bid will go to the state highway transportation commission where it will either be accepted or rejected at their October 15th meeting.

MoDOT said the project is going to be a plus for Jefferson City drivers.

MoDOT Engineer Travis Koestner said, “Right now, there are no ramps to Lafayette Street so that will have an entrance to Jefferson City High School and Lincoln University, and also to the old prison facility where there have been some new office buildings built in that including the federal courthouse and things like that so it will actually give access to that end of town without having to wind around through other streets as you get there.”

The city and county recently put up $1 million to beautify the interchange.

If the bid gets approval on October 15, construction could begin December 1st, and end by October 2015.

MoDOT said major lane closures shouldn’t happen until early next year and signs will be posted weeks in advance to warn drivers, if approved.