A former Columbia mayor who later served on Missouri’s Highways and Transportation Commission describes the recent ribbon-cutting for the new $220-million I-70 Rocheport bridge as a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Former Mayor Brian Treece spoke to 939 the Eagle on the bridge after the ribbon-cutting, as nearby truckers and other motorists honked their horns in support of the project:
“And to stand here on this bridge that, you know, thousands of cars drive across everyday at the very beginning of its lifespan you know I think is truly historic not just for the city of Columbia. It was a project that I started as mayor and was able to finish as a member of the (state) Highway Commission,” Mr. Treece says.
Both directions of the new Lance Corporal Leon Deraps I-70 Missouri River bridge at Rocheport are now open. The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says more than 37,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. That includes about 8,800 tractor trailers.
Mr. Treece emphasizes how bipartisan the bridge project was and is, noting the numerous Republicans and Democrats who stood at the ceremony together. Mayor Treece tells 939 the Eagle that it means a lot for what government can do when it works together:
“And it’s something that all of us expect government to be able to do, those things that we cannot do for ourselves. And when government does work together we can literally build bridges and move mountains and get commerce. And this is such an important component of our economy and transportation and infrastructure sectors. So, excited to be a part of it, excited to see it finished,” says Treece.
The cities of Columbia and Boonville contributed funding for the project, as did Boone and Cooper counties and the state. Veteran U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Tarkio), the dean of Missouri’s congressional delegation, also helped to secure an $81-million federal grant from the Trump administration.
The new bridge is officially known as the Lance Corporal Leon Deraps I-70 Missouri River bridge at Rocheport. Deraps, a U-S Marine who graduated from Moniteau C-1 in Jamestown, was killed in Iraq in 2006.
