By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The St. Joseph City Council has voted 5-4 in opposition of keeping Interstate-229 designated as a commissioned interstate highway.
A resolution was before the council at Monday's meeting - a resolution that would keep I-229 as a commissioned interstate highway. It was put forth by councilmember Marty Novak.
The five who voted against the resolution to keep I-229 commissioned as an interstate highway include Mayor Bill McMurray, Brian Myers, Brenda Blessing, Madison Davis and Russell Moore.
McMurray said he and the four others who voted that way did so because they're waiting for more information - not necessarily because they want the highway decommissioned.
"We are not as a council, I don't believe, against the interstate designation," McMurray told St. Joseph Post. "I think most of the council would be in favor of the interstate designation and retaining it. But, what we're doing is requesting additional information from MoDOT."
I-229 is currently a federal interstate highway, meaning it receives 90% reimbursement from the federal government for projects. If it were decommissioned, the interstate would lose 10% of its reimbursement funds.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has been looking at alternatives to the I-229 double decker bridge in St. Joseph, but MoDOT does not have an alternative route that keeps the road commissioned as an interstate highway, meaning if the double-decker bridge came down, I-229 would lose 10% of federal funds.
The council will now schedule a work session in the coming weeks so MoDOT officials can present their alternative routes. MoDOT's three alternative routes all include taking down the double-decker bridge.
"That's part of the problem with this whole thing," McMurray said. "I think there are better solutions than those proposed by MoDOT that I've seen to date, but they apparently cost more money and that's apparently what's holding up the show here."
The double-decker bridge, built between 1977-1986, is 1.1 miles long and has about 17,000 cars that travel on it daily.
Marty Liles, the district engineer for MoDOT Northwest, says the alternatives to the bridge not only keep that high traffic volume flowing through the area, but they could also drive more traffic into downtown and maybe even lead to more development.
"Some of these alternatives allows for the traffic movement that is still there," he said. "It also allows for some potential economic development and economic drivers. Even some revitalization of the downtown."
The conversation on what to do with the I-229 double decker bridge has been going on for years. McMurray says it's been going on ever since he was first elected in April 2018.
"I'm getting a little frustrated," McMurray said. "It shouldn't take three and-a-half years to figure out where we're going, and I'm just a little frustrated that we still don't have a clear picture on where we're going with this."
The city has had meetings with MoDOT and the Metropolitan Planning Organization on how to move forward with I-229 and the double-decker bridge.
Whatever happens from here, McMurray would like to see a strong amount of time and money put toward this project so that it lasts for many years.
"You know, Kansas City and St. Louis get lots of money," he pointed out. "It's time for St. Joseph to get some money, and let's build a really nice highway here that will be a generational change."
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