Missouri officials are espousing the benefits of Gov. Mike Parson’s Focus on Bridges program, which resulted in the 100th bridge opened in Livingston County over the Thompson River.
The initiative has addressed 100 of the state’s poorest bridges in just over one year, officials said, focusing on replacement or rehabilitation.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we launched the Focus on Bridges program,” Parson said. “This was a major priority for our administration, and we are proud of MoDOT for continuing to move these critical projects forward during one of the most challenging times for our state. This is an exciting milestone for infrastructure in Missouri, and we look forward to the next 100 bridges.”
The program was launched following a $50 million general revenue appropriation via the Missouri General Assembly in July 2019. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) received an $81.2 million Department of Transportation (DOT) INFRA grant that triggered $301 million in bonding revenue for the program approved by the legislature during the 2019 legislative session.
“In just over a year, bridge projects have been completed in every region of the state,” MoDOT Assistant Chief Engineer Eric Schroeter said. “Contracts have been awarded so far to 27 Missouri contractors who are performing the work. To date, we have paid $91 million on Focus on Bridges projects.”