We get asked this question a lot.
When is work going to start on Highway 67 south?
Well, it’s almost here.
Construction could start as soon as September, according to an update given Friday to members of the Highway 67 Corporation.
The project for the Phase 1A is set to go out for bid next month, with plans to award the contract in June.
Members of the Missouri Department of Transportation have warned rising costs on everything, including diesel, could impact these bids, but they’re hopeful it will be competitive.
For a project 20 years in the making, September seems like it’s right around the corner.
The Poplar Bluff City Council first discussed how to get funding for Highway 67 in the fall of 2002. The Highway 67 Corporation was formed in 2003. In April 2005, Poplar Bluff voters approved a half-cent sales tax for Highway 67 north to four-lane the miles between us and Fredericktown.
The very first groundbreaking ceremony for Highway 67 was conducted in December 2005.
The entire 50-mile project was competed by August 2012.
The Corporation turned its attention in recent years to the Highway 57 south project and now has the first four miles of that effort funded.
Corporation members talked Friday about a new grant opportunity to fund the third phase.
They also talked about the partnerships and support both the north and south projects have seen. More than 35 letters of support from community members will be sent along with the grant application for Phase 3, said Bill Robison, Highway 67 Corporation president.
We know it will be more than that because the Daily American Republic is adding our name to the list of residents and businesses signing letters of support.
We encourage community members to write letters of support as well. Something Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce president Steve Halter pointed out Friday was the overall support this project has gotten. He shared that when something this big and important needs done, this community has a way of making sure it happens.
Poplar Bluff is incredibly fortunate to have existing infrastructure projects that have received tens of millions of dollars in grant support.
It’s the kind of project that makes a difference when factories are looking to relocate and retailers seek new places to expand.
We’ve already seen it.
It’s also not the kind of project that crosses the finish line without a lot of hard work behind the scenes.
Some of the heaviest lifting has come from past Highway 67 Corporation president Tom Lawson, a former city manger, who helped get this project off this ground, and Robison, who currently holds that role.
“Bill put a lot of time and effort into this,” Halter said on Friday.
“It’s a team effort,” Robison was quick to add.
We thank all of the team for the contribution that is changing the face of Poplar Bluff.
This project is a perfect example of what can happen when like-minded individuals, with a common cause, rally around a project that will have a major impact on this community for years and decades to come.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s encouraging to know we have a dedicated group of individuals leading the way.