First Phase of Salt River Road Project to Open for Traffic on June 30

 Manager of Public Works Services Russ Batzel said the Salt River Road Project, which included the reworking of Spencer Road and Highway 370, would be completed by late June.

Batzel hit the nail on the head with his prediction. Tuesday afternoon the city of St. Peters said a 2.5-mile section of the Salt River Road Extension will open at the newly constructed Salt River Road and Spencer Road interchange west of Highway 370 on Thursday, June 30, 2011.

A ceremony for the opening will take place on the same day at 4 p.m. The Salt River Road Project was part of a $14.6 million project road project. Managed by the City of St. Peters, the Project included building the new four-lane Salt River Road. The road will open between Highway 370 and Mid Rivers Mall Drive. Spencer Road will reopen north of Premier Parkway meaning drivers will have access to Highway 370 from Spencer Road and not have to take the detour at Truman Road.

The city reports the project came in well under the $17 million budgeted amount. The project was jointly funded by the City of St. Peters and St. Charles County, and was the initial phase of the Salt River Road Extension (I-70 Reliever) Project that will connect Highway 370 to Highway 79 with a new four-lane road.

“This is another example of a great project, done well, and under budget, managed by our fantastic team at the City of St. Peters,” Mayor Len Pagano said in a press release. “This is a road that will serve area residents for many generations to come, and help relieve traffic on Interstate 70.”

The Project included the construction of three bridges: the “tight diamond” interchange at Salt River and Spencer Roads as well as bridges over Dardenne Creek and Spencer Creek. About 200,000 cubic yards of fill material was compacted to build the base for this 2.5-mile section of Salt River Road. Crews also had to build a  portion of Premier Parkway  to open up a detour route. Mid Rivers Mall Drive was also extended to the new Salt River Road as part of the project.

In the future, plans call for continuation of the Dardenne Greenway trail system, pedestrian/bike trails were constructed on the bridges over Spencer Creek and Dardenne Creek with funding provided by Great Rivers Greenway.

The next phase of the Salt River Road Extension is being managed by the St. Charles County Highway Department and will continue construction of the four-lane Salt River Road from Dardenne Creek west to Highway 79. This portion of the road will also connect Main Street to Highway C north of Old Town St. Peters. Work is underway and is scheduled to be completed in 2012.