North County site: FUSRAP partners with MoDOT during I-270 North Project

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP)
Published March 31, 2023

In 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) removed more than 35,000 cubic yards (cy) of radioactive contaminated material from underneath and along Pershall Road and I-270 in the area adjacent to Coldwater Creek (CWC) as part of Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).

This partnership was mutually beneficial. USACE was given the opportunity to remove approximately 30,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils during the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) road improvement, the I-270 North Design Build Project, also called the I-270 North Project. Close coordination between the agencies allowed the remediation to take place without negatively affecting MoDOT’s cost and schedule. The removal of contaminated material also supported the safety of the construction workers during the roadwork.

Partnering with MoDOT, USACE also removed more than 3,900 cubic yards of radioactive contaminated material from beneath approximately 250 feet of the eastbound lanes of I-270 adjacent to CWC. Without coordination with MoDOT, this contamination would have been required to remain inaccessible. USACE couldn’t remediate contaminated materials from underneath the westbound lanes due to safety concerns. USACE was able to sample soil beneath a 250-foot stretch of the westbound lanes of I-270 to identify the extent of this inaccessible radioactive material.  This will enable FUSRAP to place future land use controls in this area.

Along Pershall Road, the FUSRAP team continues to remove contaminated soils with a total of 5,804 CY as of March 16.

The partnership with MoDOT enabled FUSRAP to meet its primary goals, which are to protect public health and the environment and to minimize adverse effects on area business operations.