October 2, 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 State Representative Kurt Bahr, State Representative Chuck Gatschenberger, O’Fallon Mayor Bill Hennessy, Lake Saint Louis Board of Aldermen President Karen Vennard, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Chief Engineer Ed Hassinger, and MoDOT District Engineer Greg Horn, will celebrate the opening of the new Route 364 Page Avenue Extension from I-64 to Route K at a ribbon cutting ceremony held by MoDOT at 2 p.m. on Oct. 4 at Bryan Road and Route 364. The event follows the One Shot and Done 5K, sponsored by St. Charles Kiwanis and Fleet Feet, at 7:30 a.m., and overlaps an open walk/run/bike period for the public on the stretch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“I couldn’t be happier to see this day approaching,” said Ehlmann. “This project was a team effort between MoDOT, St. Charles County and all the municipalities, and demonstrates the kind of progress that can take place when everyone works together towards a common goal.”
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 and is expected to be completed by Nov. 2014. The County and its municipalities teamed together to fund $57 million of the 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.
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 and the Oct. 4 events, visit http://www.modot.org/Route364.
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