ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - MoDOT tells KMOX there's no 'bad blood' between the agency and the contractor which is taking responsibility for damage to I-55.
New girders are expected to arrive this Fall to replace the structural elements of the overpass near Germania that were damaged by a sub-contractor last Fall.
The damage led to the original planned completion date of Dec. 1, 2024 being moved to Fall of 2025.
The sub-contractor was hired by primary contractor KCI Construction. Previously, KCI has had trouble with overpass work on I-44 and even sued a couple of subcontractors on that project.
MoDOT district engineer Tom Blair says says the state still has confidence in in the primary contractor KCI.
"There are no concerns with KCI," Blair told KMOX.
KCI and the state reached an agreement on the I-55 damage has KCI paying for the entire cost of replacing the girders and bearings, plus an additional crossover that was created to keep other work going. KCI is also paying for any overages if the work isn't done by next May.
"They accept a lot of risk and responsibility when they subcontract out," said Blair. "It's a lot of work, but that is just necessary in the construction world. They can't self-perform on every task."