Upgrades Planned for Clarkson Road, Highway 40 Interchange

Chesterfield motorists can expect to see some changes to the Highway 40-Clarkson Road interchange as the result of Mercy Healthcare's planned virtual care hub.

Construction on the facility to be located on a 52-acre parcel just southeast of the interchange is expected to begin in 2013, according to Chesterfield Director of Public Services Michael Geisel. In an agreement approved by the Chesterfield City Council Sept. 19, Mercy promised to pay for various infrastructure improvements to accommodate the increased traffic that will likely result from the new facility.

Chief among those is approximately $1.5 million in roadwork that will extend South Outer 40 Road to connect with Clarkson Road and construct a new access ramp to Highway 40.

Essentially, construction documents plan for the current ramp from Clarkson Road to Highway 40 to be extended east to connect to Loop Drive/South Outer Forty Road. A new slip ramp will then be constructed from the resulting road and placed slightly east of its current location.

The arrangement is necessary to prevent the development from directly fronting on a highway onramp, something that is against federal law, according to Geisel.

Geisel said it’s unlikely the roadwork will require that access from Highway 40 East from Clarkson be closed at any point.