With $60 million in the Missouri legislature’s budget for Highway 67’s future status as Interstate 57, the Poplar Bluff City Council is seeking a grant from the federal Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program.
“This funding will still have to be debated on the Senate floor and approved in the final budget,” City Manager Matt Winters clarified.
At the time of this article, the funding has been passed through both the senate and the house.
In a proactive effort, he asked the council to seek federal funding from the MPDGP to augment state resources. The request totals nearly $91.3 million. Winters explained this amount will finish phases one through four of the expansion effort.
If the state approves the $60 million and the MPDGP accepts the grant application, the I-57 project would be fully funded. Current obligations for the second half of phase one total $182 million.
“Arkansas is going to have theirs done if we don’t hurry,” council member Mark Massingham said before motioning to move the matter to a vote. The council unanimously approved the measure.
Bill Robison of Smith and Co. Engineers and chairman of the Highway 67 Corporation stated the federal funds would accelerate the timeline of completion dramatically.
“We’ve been applying for federal funding for years now,” he said.
While inflation has delayed some aspects of the project, Robison is confident the grant would help complete I-57 to the Arkansas border.
“Nobody can do it alone,” he said, emphasizing the close coordination between local, state and federal funding sources.
With expanded shoulders and divided medians, “safety will increase dramatically,” he affirmed in addition to the economic benefit.
Robison recalled the effort to bring the interstate through Poplar Bluff has been going on for over 20 years. While there is no firm date set for completion, the end could possibly be in sight with the right funding.
“It’s such an important project,” he reiterated.