A virtual pubic hearing will be held Aug. 3 to discuss upgrades for Highway 67 South as part of a project to make four-lane improvements for a future Interstate 57 route.
The hearing will be held from 4-6 p.m., with formal presentations at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. Throughout the online hearing, there will opportunities for attendees to ask questions or share comments, MoDOT officials report. Attendees can join the virtual public meeting on Aug. 3 by visiting www.modot.org/futureI57.
Phases 1 and 2 of the project have been fully funded through local, state and federal dollars. The city of Poplar Bluff is in the process of submitting a new federal grant application to fund phase 3 of the project. A fourth phase is also not currently funded.
Work will bring Highway 67 South up to interstate standards from Poplar Bluff to the Arkansas border.
The virtual meeting will focus on phases 1A, 1B and 2, according to MoDOT. Phase 1A received funding through Gov. Mike Parson’s cost share program. Phases 1B and 2 were funded thanks to a cost share between MoDOT and the City of Poplar Bluff. This was made possible after Poplar Bluff voters approved a ballot measure to help fund the expansion in August 2019.
“Improvements will extend from the Route 160/158 interchange to County Road 352 through the currently funded phases,” MoDOT officials report. “The Route 160/158 interchange will be reconfigured with two roundabouts in place of the current loop ramps in the northwest and southeast quadrants.”
Officials have said they hope to have the first project, phase 1A, out for bid by late 2021 or early 2022. Both portions of phase 1 construction are expected to be complete by the fall of 2024.
The estimated $15.7-million in work on phases 1A and 1B will take place between Highway 160 and Butler County Road 338.
The city expects to spend about $2.6 million on property acquisition for phases 1A and 1B. Construction is estimated to cost $10.7 million. Another approximately $2.4 million will be spent on engineering and other expenses.
Expenses for the first phase will be split between the city (50%), Missouri Department of Transportation’s Southeast District (13%), and MoDOT (37%). The city’s portion of the cost is paid for through a sales tax.
Interested persons may review the project in more detail and share their thoughts at www.modot.org/futureI57.
Comments will be accepted through Tuesday, Aug. 24.
For more information, contact MoDOT Project Manager Tim Pickett at 573-472-9003 or Area Engineer David Wyman at 573-380-2913.