[Press Release] : Highway 63 COLT Railroad bridge groundbreaking

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2009

CONTACT: Connie Kacprowicz
Public Information Specialist
(573) 874-7325

Highway 63 COLT Railroad bridge groundbreaking

	(COLUMBIA, MO) - Motorists traveling on Highway 63 north of
Columbia will soon have a safer route. Construction of the COLT railroad
bridge over Highway 63 will begin in August. A groundbreaking event is
being held on Friday, July 31, at 3 p.m. to kick off the project.
Senator Kit Bond, who helped secure some of the federal funds for the
project, will make a few remarks at the event being held at 6501 North
Brown Station Road. 
	The new COLT bridge will be located east of the existing tracks.
The bid for the project was awarded to Emery Sapp and Sons for $3.8
million. Construction will start in August and will take 15 months to
complete.
	Federal funds will be used to build the COLT bridge. Senator
Bond secured $950,000 and Representative Kenny Hulshof obtained $475,000
for the project. The rest of the money needed for the bridge was awarded
to the city of Columbia through the Missouri Department of
Transportation with American Recovery and Reinvestment funds.
	In the 1980s when the Missouri Department of Transportation was
planning upgrades to Highway 63, the Norfolk and Western reported that
they were going to abandon the branch line serving Columbia so an
overpass was not built. Columbia industries needed rail service so the
city of Columbia purchased the rail line in 1987. Both rail and highway
traffic has increased 400 percent since the 1980s, presenting safety
problems with the crossing. 
	The city of Columbia and the Missouri Department of
Transportation studied various options to make the Highway 63 rail
crossing safer. Lowering the speed limit was researched but it was found
that motorists were not slowing down enough to make a difference. Other
options like adding lanes or using a recycled bridge were studied. In
the end, it was found that the best solution was to build a new bridge.

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