Missouri State Capitol renovations begin this week

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Renovation work on the State Capitol building in Jefferson City begins this week.

The Jefferson City News-Tribune reported the nearly $29 million project is expected to start Friday. It will involve restoration of most of the Capitol's exterior stone work.

Republican Sen. Mike Kehoe of Jefferson City said the project will make the 100-year-old building safer and water-tight for another hundred years.

State officials have worked several years to develop the renovation plan. It is scheduled to be finished by December 2020.

The original stone of the Capitol is a form of limestone that has cracked and, in some cases, broken because of its exposure to water.

Kehoe noted many of the stone decorations made a century ago also will need to be restored or replaced.

Information from: Jefferson City News Tribune, http://www.newstribune.com