Cole County Route 50/63 (Lafayette Street Interchange)

Project OverviewDescripción del proyecto

he Cole County US-50/63 (Rex Whitton Expressway) project, also referred to as the Lafayette Street Interchange, was an intense two-year project in Jefferson City, Missouri. Not only did this project replace, update, and expand existing corridor bridges and roadways through this heavily traveled section of US-50, but also created direct access to the downtown district and Lincoln University alleviating significant traffic congestion. The interchange was updated with sidewalks and crosswalks along both sides and improvements were made to a local recreation trail that is heavily used by students and residents in the area. A problematic vertical curve that blocked the view of the existing traffic signal was lowered and US-50 was slightly realigned to allow for additional auxiliary lanes along both sides merging into the new interchange. The project is now known for its aesthetic appeal making it the marquee gateway into Jefferson City.

This project included a new concrete pavement (PCCP) diamond interchange giving US-50 traffic direct access to Lafayette St. and an additional lane of US-50 from Monroe St. to Lafayette St. as well as from Lafayette St. to Clark Ave. Three bridges were replaced along the corridor; Chestnut St. Bridge over US-50, Jackson St. Bridge over US-50, and US-50 Bridge over Lafayette St. In addition, two new bridges were built as part of the new US-50 interchange and Clark Ave. The bridge over US-50 was rehabilitated with a new bridge deck. Pavement reconstruction took place on Lafayette St. from Elm St. to East Handley Way, pavements north and south of Clark Ave Bridge were reconstructed, and US-50 pavement throughout the project was replaced with the grade lowered by four feet. The project also featured 12 Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls totaling 37,296 square feet and 40,178 square feet of Aesthetic Sound Wall between three locations, 84 vertical feet of drilled shafts, 48 vertical feet of rock sockets, and 5,035 linear feet of H-Piles.