Changes begin with first shovel
Ground broken Thursday for first section of Osage Beach Expressway of dirt

By Charis Patires/Lake Sun
Thursday, October 18, 2007

CAMDEN COUNTY - To mark the start of construction on the first major section of the Route 54 Expressway project, a group of dignitaries stood on top of the location of a future off ramp during a ceremony to highlight the changes that will take place over the next three years.

A groundbreaking was held Thursday off of Bluff Drive in Osage Beach, more than a week before clearing along a 3-mile stretch of the 54 expressway project is expected to get underway. The $30-million project includes grading, drainage, paving, and retaining wall and bridge construction from the Grand Glaize Bridge to near Route 42.

Once completed, the entire expressway will stretch from near Business 54 to west of Route KK.

The $158-million highway will improve traffic flow, increase safety and will play a vital role in the economic development of the lake area, according to officials present at the ceremony.

Motorists will be able to travel 65 miles per hour with no signals to stop traffic along the way.

Several interchanges will be spread across the 8.7 mile long highway to provide access in and around the Lake Ozark and Osage Beach area.

Interchanges along the route will be located at Route KK and Nichols Road, Broadwater Lane, Jeffries Road, Passover Road, Route 42 and on Horseshoe Bend Parkway.

The highway will be open by the end of 2010.

Several officials stepped forward to speak at the groundbreaking including state Rep. Rodney Schad (R-Versailles), who said transportation issues are always at the forefront in the state legislature.

Budget requirements are key and the needs across the state are tremendous,' Schad said. 'We in the legislature are glad to be a part of it and we do what we can do.'

By the end of 2010, more than $300 million will have been spent on infrastructure improvements across the lake area in the span of a decade, but there are still others to be funded, Kevin Keith, chief engineer for MoDOT, said.

It will take action on behalf of the taxpayers in order to be able to continue to increase the state's investment in the highway system, he said.


Contact this reporter at charisp@lakesunleader.com