Floods will not impact development of Adrian’s Island, Jefferson City leaders say

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Despite historic flooding on the Missouri River in 2019, a major redevelopment project near the Capitol building saw little to no impact.

Adrian's Island is a 30-acre swath of foliage-covered wetland between the Missouri River and the railroad tracks. It extends from the Missouri Capitol to the Missouri State Penitentiary.

The development of a park on the island would be the next step following the construction of the Bicentennial Bridge, a $4.9 million, donor-funded project.

The 826-foot bridge would stretch from an area between the Senate garage and Veterans' Memorial behind the Missouri Capitol to a riverfront park on the island.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency considers Adrian's Island to have a one percent chance of being overtaken by floodwaters in any given year. In other words, only a 100-year flood would cause an issue at the site.

"We don't anticipate any issues," said Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin. "The area where this [bridge] lands is the highest point of the island already and so we feel very confident moving forward with this project."

Tergin said the city will likely bid the project in late spring and select a developer and begin construction in early summer, leaving a year before the state's bicentennial celebration.

The project is still nearly $900,000 shy of its $4.9 million funding goal and Tergin said she's confident that the remaining funds will be gathered.

"We've had a lot of excitement and interest and lately we've had donors come in with $5,000, $25,000 because they're seeing that this is ready," said Tergin.

Missouri's Bicentennial celebration is in August 2021.