By Bill Raack, KWMU-FM
St. Louis, MO – The head of MO-DOT is downplaying the significance of an apparent $17 million shortfall in the projected cost of the Highway 40 project in St. Louis. Transportation officials have set the budget for rebuilding 12 miles of I-64 at $535 million.
MO-DOT director Pete Rahn says reports that the project will actually cost $552 million refer to an environmental impact statement - or EIS -- that was only an estimate. "When we're through, the vast majority of the citizens of St. Louis will be happy with the improvements made to I-64 and at this point, I am not concerned about the difference between the numbers in the EIS and the dollars that we have available to us," Rahn said Thursday.
Rahn says MO-DOT has no plans to scale back the scope of the Highway 40 project, which is scheduled to begin next spring.