Extensive repairs needed statewide due to ongoing floods
Missouri roads and highways are in need of significant repairs after historically high river levels overtook much of the state.
Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna said there is no total estimate of damage caused by flooding yet because hundreds of roads remain underwater, but he estimated the cost of repairs at “upwards of $100 million.”
Besides the substantial deterioration of infrastructure, McKenna said other issues could arise after river levels recede.
“With saturated ground we’re going to see slides, we’re going to see road erosion, we’ve got a lot of abutments around bridges that are washed away and damaged,” McKenna told ABC 17 News on Tuesday. “We’re doing spot treatments to get the roads open as quickly as we can.”
According to MoDOT traveler map data on Tuesday, 70 roads in the northwest district of the state are closed due to flooding, more than in any other section of the state. The central district has the second-most with 40 roads closed.
“Our northwest district– many of our crews there haven’t had a weekend off since before Thanksgiving.”
In total, 248 roads in Missouri are closed due to flooding.
In Jefferson City, the department repaired a section of Highway 50 that partially flooded.
I-29 north of St. Joseph reopened mid-June. The stretch of road leading to the Iowa state line has been closed on-and-off since March.
Road and bridge repair was a priority for MODOT officials during the most recent legislative session, before the historic floods. State lawmakers passed a budget that included Missouri borrowing $300 million for road and bridge rehabilitation projects.
One condition of the measure is that a federal grant must be awarded to MODOT for road and bridge repair before the $300 million in bonds can be issued. McKenna said the U.S. Department of Transportation is still considering Missouri’s application for the grant.
“(Flooding damage) is a real problem for us, because we’ve just been keeping our nose above water as it is trying to maintain conditions with limited resources,” McKenna said.
An announcement on the USDOT federal grant could come as late as September.
Separately, federal reimbursement for state costs related to flooding and tornado damage could take years. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declared the second state of emergency related to water and weather damage on Monday.
In addition to ongoing flooding, MODOT is also working on more than 400 active construction projects.
“We’re behind schedule in general for our striping and routine maintenance activities, so what are crews are trying to do is catch up as quickly as they can as safely as they can,” McKenna said.
