Work on two more major infrastructure projects will start this month.
Work begins Monday on the replacement of the Pine Street bridge, while construction on the first phase of the Highway 67 south/future Interstate 57 project kicks off Aug. 22.
The 1934 Pine Street bridge project is expected to last approximately 11 months, finishing in July 2023. The cost of this project is paid for by the Missouri Department of Transportation and is approximately $3.5 million.
A new westbound bridge will be constructed. Traffic will be shifted during construction to a head-to-head configuration on the eastbound bridge, which is newer and in better condition, officials have said.
The bridge sees a combined 12,000 vehicles per day, approximately.
The first phase of the Highway 67 south project will be completed by November 2023, according to MoDOT.
It will include an upgrade to the Route 160/158 interchange south of Poplar Bluff, MoDOT officials said Tuesday.
“The interchange will be reconfigured with two roundabouts in place of the current loop ramps in the northwest and southeast quadrants,” MoDOT reports. “Initially, work will consist of pipe extensions and earthwork for the new merge ramps.
“During this stage of construction, Route 160/158 and Route 67 will be minimally impacted. Motorists should anticipate construction equipment and contractor crews in the area.”
Additional information detailing impacts to traffic will be released prior to the start of paving, according to MoDOT. Tentatively, paving is anticipated to begin in 2023.
This phase of the project received funding through Gov. Mike Parson’s cost share program.
Phases 1B and 2 are also fully funded and progress 4 miles southward to County Road 352. The Highway 67 Corporation has applied for federal funding to go an additional 3 miles. This would bring the project close to the Highway 142 intersection in Neelyville.
Only 12 miles of highway are left to go in Missouri after that, officials have said.
Across the state line, Arkansas has a head start on its expansion.
“It’s amazing because they have 123 miles that are already built to interstate standards down there from Little Rock north to Walnut Ridge,” said Bill Robison of the Highway 67 Corporation.
He also said Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas worked closely with Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt to designate Route 67 as the future I-57 corridor in the first place. The corridor will have broad economic impacts for both states and the surrounding region.
“If you’re looking at a map and look at I-30 out of Dallas to Little Rock, and then I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis, ADT (average daily traffic) on that section is really, really high — 50,000 vehicles a day, and it’s got a really high percentage of trucks,” Robison said.