MoDOT hopes to expedite Ramsey Creek bridge

The Missouri Department of Transportation will push for the lowest level of environmental scrutiny in planning the Ramsey Creek bridge project.

Eric Krapf briefed the Scott City Council on the project at Monday night's regular council meeting. The Federal Highway Administration required the study before the $5 million in federal funds earmarked for the project could be spent. Krapf said the statement findings will be made public soon.

Krapf said the final version of the purpose and needs statement with be sent to the federal agency in two to three weeks. At the current workload the Federal Highway Administration said it should be able to respond to the statement within six weeks.

Part of that response will be a determination of the level of environmental review that will be required for the project. Krapf said MoDOT is pushing for the lowest level, a categorial exclusion, used in projects where basically only one clear route for a road exists.

"That's going to be our position," Krapf said.

The lower level of scrutiny would shave several months off the project planning process.

Krapf said MoDOT already knows the project will tie in the outer road on I-55 northbound side to Main Street, creating a corridor from Main Street to Route AB, where the city's industrial park is located. There's an area of only a few blocks where the road can be built, Krapf said.

"It can't be too close to the interstate or it won't be used ... but it can't be too far away, either," Krapf said.

Scott City Mayor Tim Porch said he's pleased by the progress being made on bringing the Ramsey Creek bridge project to reality despite prior concerns about the slowness of the process.

Porch also said he's received several calls about the project now that word is out MoDOT has finished its purpose and needs statement, a study of traffic use on the Interstate 55 corridor from Fruitland to just south of Scott City.

Public meetings about the project are expected to start this summer, Krapf said.

In other business:

• The council passed the 2007-2008 budget 6 to 0. The budget includes a projected 3 percent increase in expenditures and revenue, city administrator Ron Eskew said.
• The council voted 6 to 0 to renew liquor licenses for the Knights of Columbus hall, Schock's Pub LLC, Bob's Foodliner, Casey's General Stores, Larry's Store 24, Rhodes 101 Stop, Rhodes Travel Center and Tank's One Stop.
• The council voted 6 to 0 to hold a public hearing for the re-zoning of property on the city's southern boundary along U.S. 61. The re-zoning has been requested by a nursing home with plans to build a facility in the area. Eskew declined to name the nursing home pending a public announcement by the company. The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold its hearing July 10, with the council hearing on July 16.

msanders@semissourian.com

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