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I-70 bridge ribbon-cutting celebrates the project's completion

Governor Mike Parson and Governor-elect Michael Kehoe cut the ribbon celebrating completion of the Rocheport bridge project on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024
Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval
/
KBIA
Governor Mike Parson and Governor-elect Michael Kehoe cut a ribbon at the Rocheport bridge on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024

The old four-lane Rocheport bridge was demolished last September due to its old age. Now, the Missouri Department of Transportation is one step closer to opening two new bridges with three lanes each for traffic.

MoDoT officials celebrated the project’s completion alongside Missouri’s Governor Mike Parson and Governor-elect Michael Kehoe in a ribbon cutting event on Tuesday morning.

Governor Parson stood before a crowd of contractors, supporters and journalists in what he said was probably his “ last time at a MoDOT event.” In his address, Parson said he was thankful for the federal and state government collaboration to secure $240 million for the project’s budget.

“Infrastructure and workforce development is not about politics,” Parson said. “It's about making it better for the next generations.”

The Rocheport bridge has expanded from four lanes to six and serves as an important connection across I-70.
Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval
/
KBIA
The Rocheport bridge has expanded from holding four lanes to six and serves as an important connection across I-70.

Parson also thanked the contractors who made the bridge possible and called to the stage Governor-elect Kehoe, who said he hoped to continue the Governor’s legacy.

“ I'm humbled to be able to follow somebody who has been such a leader in making sure our state's infrastructure system is secure and safe for our families,” Kehoe said.

The project is part of a larger initiative to expand Interstate 70 from four lanes to six. Interstate 70 divides the state, serving as a passage for an estimated 100 million tons of freight and making it key to interstate commerce.

Ed Hassinger is MoDoT’s Director. “All you have to do is look at the trucks that are rolling by here on I-70,” Hassinger said. “Missouri is within a day’s drive for a truck of over half the population in the country. So I think that tells you Missouri could be a logistic hub and is a part of the national economy.”

With the ribbon cut, transportation officials say Missourians can expect to see traffic across all six lanes by the end of the year.

The bridges are named in memory Lance Cpl. Leon Deraps. From the town of Jamestown, located south of Columbia, Deraps served as a U.S. Marine during the Iraq War where he gave his life.

Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval is a Senior in the Missouri School of Journalism from Mexico City. He's a reporter and producer for KBIA.
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