St. Charles County reviews 2026–28 TIP; road board backs 27 of 32 projects

Amanda Brower, presenting the county’s proposed Transportation Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2026–28, told the council the office received 32 project applications from eight jurisdictions requesting $21,100,000 in county funding and reporting $76,800,000 in total project costs.

Brower said the road board recommended approval or partial approval of 27 applications: nine projects received design‑only funding this year to build stronger federal funding applications later, and 18 projects were advanced as construction projects. She said federal funds covered more than 40% of awarded project costs overall, with sponsoring jurisdictions, developers and MoDOT providing additional cost share.

Among highlighted projects, Brower said the Marley Drive extension — coordinated with the Improve I‑70 effort and requiring railroad and MoDOT coordination — is a new road with a total estimated cost of $5.2 million; the county would fund 40% of that amount, with 50% from cost share and 10% from the city of Wentzville. She noted other projects that benefited from large federal matches (65–80%), including Weldon Spring Road Phase 1, Highway P improvements, Bridal Road improvements in O’Fallon, and Deer Road reconstruction (a county‑funded major project because it lacks federal eligibility).

Brower also described pedestrian and bicycle investments tied to the I‑70 work: a planned pedestrian bridge just east of Route Z and a 10‑foot side path to improve bike/ped connections through a new interchange. She said the county had a total of $46,000,000 in new project costs across the TIP and that partial design awards aimed to improve future federal applications.

During council questions, staff clarified that the county maintains a $10,000,000 economic development reserve each year to allow rapid transfers for major projects that require expedited right‑of‑way or road work. Brower cited prior uses of that fund — including Northpointe/Spencer Road and improvements connected to Premier Parkway — and explained that all road‑board projects undergo scoring and vetting before county funds are committed.

On a citizen petition for a short trail/sidewalk segment on Upper Bottom Road, staff said there were significant engineering challenges and that the item would need to be scored against other projects; Councilman Baker said the petition had 41 signatures and urged prioritization.

The presentation closed with staff reminding the council that the TIP is a rolling three‑year plan and that some projects shown for design in 2026 could advance to construction in later years when federal funding and local match are secured.