Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, representatives of the Missouri Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak have officially broken ground for a new $20 million, 1,200-foot railroad bridge across the Osage River.
The bridge will add capacity and is designed to reduce delays on the route used by Amtrak Missouri River Runner trains between Kansas City and St. Louis.
The new bridge, located just east of Jefferson City in Osage City, Mo., will unclog a major bottleneck that was caused when two tracks would funnel to one to cross the Osage River on a single-track railroad bridge and then connect back to a double mainline track.
When the bridge is complete, the rail corridor between St. Louis and Jefferson City will consist entirely of two mainline tracks.
The project is Missouri’s first rail infrastructure project to be awarded and begin construction under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“This bridge will help spark new jobs and economic growth in Missouri, both during its construction and as it helps move passengers and freight across Missouri more efficiently, more safely, and in greater numbers for many years to come,” Gov. Nixon said.
The bridge is being constructed by OCCI, Inc., from Fulton, Mo.
