I-270 North Design-Build Project Completion Highlights Community Engagement

Not only did the I-270 North Design-Build Project help upgrade a busy corridor, it encouraged local citizens to join the infrastructure and public works trades

Serving over 140,000 vehicles per day, the Interstate 270 (I-270) North corridor is a route of local, regional and national significance. Built in the 1960s, the northern portion of I-270 from Interstate 70 (I-70) to Route H in St. Louis County, Missouri serves as a primary freight route for commercial vehicle traffic to bypass the city of St. Louis. 

Decades later, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) decided the busy highway was due for significant upgrades in order to maximize efficiency for all of its users. Dubbed the I-270 North Design-Build Project, construction began in April 2020 and was completed in December 2023.

“The level of improvements throughout this stretch of I-270 North, including new bridges, reconstructed interchanges, additional driving lanes, multi-use paths that improve accessibility for bicyclists and pedestrians, updated outer road systems and signal updates and replacements, were very much necessary to address the poor conditions of roadways and bridges in that area,” said St. Louis District Engineer Tom Blair. “The primary project focus was to improve and take care of the existing transportation assets while maximizing reliability and safety and better linking communities for all users.”

The community reaction to the upgrades has been very positive, per MoDOT. One of the main challenges with bringing these upgrades to life was maintaining traffic during construction. Not only did the MoDOT’s contractor come up with solutions to minimize the number of road closures, the team would personally go door to door to talk with residents and business owners to inform them of any changes. Additionally, MoDOT would also release monthly newsletters that provided updates on the progress of the project.

Blair also talked about the fluidity in communication amongst the team to make sure everybody was on the same page.

“After the project was awarded, we hosted weekly task force meetings to discuss and develop the design and construction,” said Blair. “Along with this, we required to have a co-location facility where all parties could work within the same place to easily communicate with each other and discuss any issues or concerns.”

One aspect of the project that MoDOT pointed out on their website was the diversity representation on the team, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, ability and sexual orientation. MoDOT set a number of goals to achieve in regard to diversity representation. For example, the minority participation goal was set at 14.7%. This percentage represented the hours worked by minority team members. The goal was met at 23.5%. Additionally, MoDOT also set a female participation goal of 6.9%. This standard was also surpassed, with female participation totaling 15.1%.

The primary project focus was to improve and take care of the existing transportation assets, while maximizing reliability and safety, and better linking communities for all users.” – Tom Blair, St. Louis District Engineer

To honor some of the many faces of the team, the MoDOT published mini profiles on some of the workers on its website, including Mike White, a father of three who turned to the construction trade for financial stability.

“I feel like I’m building America,” White told MoDOT before the completion of the project. “It’ll be a reward every time I pass by this I-270 North project knowing I helped build it.” 

Another highlight for the project was the implementation of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) outreach program called Project PAVE. This initiative focuses on getting high school students interested in the construction trades and engineering throughout the St. Louis area. More than 100 students participated in Project PAVE over the course of the upgrade project.

Patrick Hanneken, an instructor at North Technical High School, said he is already seeing the impact on his students.

“Morale is above and beyond. I have nine seniors and when they see this kind of success happening through these partnerships with Millstone Weber and other companies, it helps tremendously,” Hanneken said. “Classes run smoother, more work is getting done, these kids are seeing the big picture at the end of the tunnel and saying ‘Hey, that could be me.'”

The project has been recognized by several of awards since its completion. A few of the honors included the Meaningful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices award from the Design-Build Institute of America; the Project of the Year Award from Gateway ITE Transportation; the Public Works Project of the Year — Transportation More Than $75 Million from the American Public Works Association; and the Public Involvement Approach with Consultant award from the TransComm AASHTO Committee on Transportation.

As far as future projects, the MoDOT team has its sights set on a few other highways in the state.

“We’re excited about the upcoming work for the Improve I-70 program across the state of Missouri,” Blair said. “We’re also looking forward to making improvements on I-44 across the state.”