Cole County, Jefferson City staff review progress on rail terminal, Wildwood Drive and other cooperative projects
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Summary
County and city staff updated the Cole County Commission on completed and ongoing city–county cooperative infrastructure projects, including the Capital Area Rail Terminal, the Wildwood Drive extension and several street, viaduct and roundabout designs. City contribution and construction timing were discussed.
Cole County commissioners heard an update Tuesday on several ongoing city–county cooperative infrastructure projects, including the recently completed Capital Area Rail Terminal and the Wildwood Drive extension, as staff described work status, funding arrangements and near-term schedules.
City engineer David Baney and Kyle Bremer, the city’s new public works director, gave the report on projects the county and city are coordinating. County staff said the Capital Area Rail Terminal has closed out construction and that the terminal received railcars in recent weeks and is taking deliveries. Officials described the project as a public–private partnership with county leadership on funding and private operation of the terminal.
The Wildwood Drive extension — the county-led project being built by a local contractor — is in early construction. The county said the city approved a $2,000,000 contribution under the existing intergovernmental agreement; officials said that payment has been approved and was “on the way.” County staff said clearing work would be completed by the end of March to meet permitting requirements, and relocation of utilities by Ameren will start near the future roundabout in the coming weeks. The overall contract for Wildwood exceeds $6,000,000; the contractor’s work window is 330 days from notice to proceed, and staff estimated the road would appear substantially complete by Thanksgiving or early December, with cleanup to follow.
Other joint projects described to commissioners included Monroe Street, where contractors have closed a section and shifted traffic to allow driveway and grading work; the High Street viaduct, where geotechnical and archaeological investigations are complete and consultants are addressing railroad requirements for retaining walls; and a design effort for roundabouts on West Edgewood at Stadium and Creek Trail. On the Edgewood corridor, staff said they have acquired a corner parcel from a private owner and coordinated building positioning with a dentist’s office to preserve right-of-way needed for future roundabouts. No construction funding has been secured for those roundabouts; staff said future sales-tax cycles would be a likely funding source.
Staff also reported that the Chestnut Street rehabilitation project is nearing final plans and that the state has indicated it would pay half of the Chestnut project cost but that legal and accounting details remain under review. For Chestnut Street, an estimate compiled in January was roughly $2,880,000; staff described remaining coordination and scheduling challenges for construction that will affect both sides of the street.
Commissioners asked about cash-flow timing, how city funds will be submitted and processed, and whether projects in the sales-tax program should be reprioritized. Staff said the county and city are coordinating on the next sales-tax cycle to continue funding large corridor and viaduct projects once current sales-tax revenues are expended.
Less immediate items included work on Madison Street (stormwater, ADA ramps and pavement repairs) and the High Street viaduct grant effort; staff said a BIP (bridge improvement program) grant application was not selected and the federal debrief process has not yet yielded guidance for a revised application.
The update closed with staff saying they would return with further design and cost details as consultant analyses are completed and as construction progress warrants additional commission action.
