The Missouri Department of Transportation and its contractor, KCI Construction, have reached an agreement on a costly fix needed to repair 80 girders on a bridge that was damaged during an ongoing $63 million highway rehabilitation project interstate 55 in Missouri.
KCI Construction, based in St. Louis, will replace both beams and bearings on one of 13 bridges being rehabilitated on Interstate 55 between Lindbergh, Mo., and Interstate 44 in St. Louis. The bridge was damaged in October when an unnamed demolition subcontractor removing the road surface used a jackhammer and caused significant damage to the span’s structural steel girders.
“KCI is responsible for all costs associated with the engineering, design and installation of the beams,” according to a MoDOT statement. “The contractor also paid for an additional crossing south of the bridge so that crews could complete the resurfacing work on the southbound I-55 bridge over the Des Peres River.”
Tom Huster, president of KCI, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He estimated in April that the cost of the bridge repair work would be at least $10 million.
“Ultimately, KCI is responsible for fixing this,” said Andrew Gates, MoDOT spokesman. “They can go to the subcontractor [for reimbursement.]”
Neither Huster nor the transportation department has named the subcontractor who caused the damage, and who is no longer working on the project.
MoDOT reports that crews have removed the damaged girders from the northbound bridge and are waiting for the new girders and bearings to be delivered this fall when they are installed. Additionally, crews continue to work on the southbound Interstate 55 bridge over the Des Peres River and have recently begun work on the southbound bridges over Green Park Road and Gravois Creek.
Work began on the bridges between the towns of River Des Peres and Loughborough in March 2023, and was scheduled to be completed in 2024. MoDOT now expects bridge work to be completed in the fall of 2025 and resurfacing to continue in 2026.
“Our priority at this time is to continue working with the contractor to complete the road construction and reopen the road to traffic,” said Tom Blair, MoDOT St. Louis District Engineer. Louis.
