State and local officials announced Tuesday, Aug. 4 that a “ribbon-joining” ceremony will be held next week to celebrate the opening of the Highway 47 bridge over Interstate 70 in Warrenton.
“Aug. 17 will be a ribbon-joining ceremony at Highway 47 at the overpass. The overpass won’t be fully completed but it will be able to be driven on” following the event, Mayor Eric Schleuter said at the Warrenton Board of Aldermen meeting. “It is at 5 p.m. There will be some key speakers out there.”
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) announced the celebration shortly before the aldermen met Aug. 4.
The ribbon-joining ceremony will take place on the new Highway 47 bridge Monday, Aug. 17, at 5 p.m., and is open to the public.
Public parking will be available at the old commuter lot, located northwest of the bridge. Individuals with mobility concerns may contact MoDOT for assistance. Pets, large or hard-side coolers, alcohol or glass bottles, skateboards, skates/skate shoes, scooters, bikes and other recreational vehicles, and drones are prohibited.
Along with Schleuter, as of Sunday, Aug. 9, scheduled speakers included Improve I-70 Program Director Eric Kopinski, Missouri Highways and Transportation Commissioner Francis Slay, Warren County Presiding Commissioner Joe Gildehaus, and MoDOT Northeast District Engineer Kevin James, with the list still being finalized, according to Improve I-70 Program Communications Coordinator Lairyn McGregor.
“In place of a traditional ribbon cutting, we will host a special ‘ribbon‑joining’ ceremony to mark the opening of the new MO 47 Bridge. This structure serves as a vital link for the community and will restore seamless travel between the north and south sides of the city to directly reconnect residents, businesses, and services,” MoDOT said in a news release.
“The new bridge, tentatively set to open to traffic late evening on August 17, will feature a pedestrian pathway, along with aesthetic enhancements provided by the City of Warrenton, including additional lighting and railing similar to the Route MM/Warrenton Boulevard overpass.”
Alderman Larry Corder also commented on the announcement.
“Just a little good news, I saw they poured the deck over I-70, so let’s all smile about that,” he said. “That’ll be completed shortly. And for all my friends that were the naysayers, it’s going to be done by school.”
The overpass replacement marks the first in a series of improvements planned at the Highway 47 and I-70 interchange, with additional construction phases continuing through 2027, according to MoDOT.
“Although the new bridge includes a pedestrian pathway, connectivity to the existing sidewalk network will not occur until reconstruction of the northern intersection is completed in late 2027,” the release notes. “Likewise, the new bridge lighting will remain inactive until installation of the upgraded signal system, also scheduled for late 2027.”
Although MoDOT has plans to eventually activate the lighting installed as part of the new bridge project, lighting further north is another matter.
At the Aug. 4 Warrenton Board of Aldermen meeting, Alderman Brandon Lang asked if the city had looked into whether MoDOT might help with paying for sidewalk lighting on north Highway 47.
“MoDOT will not help us with that,” said City Administrator Brandie Walters.
“We are trying to work with Ameren. It’s a very slow process. We have talked to them several times over the last year to see if they will help us to put lights on their poles. It would be an astronomical cost for us to put lighting all along three miles of sidewalk, so we have been trying to work with them and see if we can’t get somewhere on that,” she said.
“I wish I had better news for you. We reach out to them every couple months to see where we’re at. It’s just not moving very fast, unfortunately.”
For the local community in Warrenton, reopening the bridge will be a welcome change from the past several months, Mayor Schleuter said.
“The northies and the southies can get together and be joined together once more,” he said.
