I-229 double decker replacement project to begin in spring 2028
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- St. Joseph residents will see the start of a new season and a new era for highway transportation when spring of 2028 rolls around.
Missouri Department of Transportation officials confirmed to News-Press NOW that the current plan is to begin construction on the Interstate 229 double-decker bridge replacement project in the spring of 2028.
The double-decker is one of numerous projects planned over the next five years as part of MoDOT's $13.3 billion Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) unveiled last week.
Approximately $127 million is budgeted in the STIP for the I-229 project, $114 million from federal funds and $12 million from the state. However, MoDOT officials said the total cost of the project -- last estimated between $70 and $80 million -- will be evaluated over the next several months.
The multi-year project will see the 1.1-mile-long bridge demolished and replaced with a new four-lane arterial roadway constructed at-grade — elevated as necessary for compliance with floodplain and stormwater requirements — in nearly the same location as the existing structure between the railroad tracks and the Missouri River.
The 40-year-old Double-Decker Bridge, which has obvious signs of deterioration and requires regular maintenance, received the equivalent of a C-Minus rating during its April 2021 inspection and was initially given a lifespan of only 50 years.
St. Joseph's Double-Decker Bridge was built between 1977 and 1986, carrying approximately 17,000 vehicles per day, a low figure compared with other interstates. More than 1,000 tractor trailers use the bridge to enter and exit the Stockyards Expressway from I-229 daily.
A key portion of the project includes the construction of a new interchange North, at St. Joseph Avenue and Interstate 229. On the South, a new signalized intersection will be installed at Fourth Street by Mitchell Avenue for Downtown access, including ramps that provide quicker access for tractor-trailers.
The project includes the construction of two main access points into Downtown, Fourth Street and St. Joseph Avenue, as well as the construction of another exit off U.S. Highway 36 that leads drivers Downtown to South Sixth Street. Existing Downtown exit/entrance ramps at Charles, Edmond, Francis and Felix streets will be demolished.
Subsequently, as part of the I-229 alternatives evaluation process, MoDOT is recommending de-designating I-229 as an interstate highway from its northern terminus at Interstate 29 to its southern terminus at Interstate 29, a distance of 15 miles through St. Joseph. The de-designation request would occur prior to demolition and construction.
