Poplar Bluff residents will decide Hwy. 67 ballot measure on Tuesday

Poplar Bluff residents will be asked Tuesday to decide on an effort to four-lane Highway 67 south.

Community leaders believe the measure will help complete a project important to area growth.

The ballot measure goes before the city’s five wards. It asks if the city should redefine the Highway 67 effort, which began after 2005 with roads north to Fredericktown.

“The expansion of the Highway 67 project into the next phase will aid in the continued growth of our community, just as finishing the original project boosted our community by making it easier for people to come into the area and shop and receive services,” said Dr. Wes Payne, president of Three Rivers College.

Hwy. 67 north costs less than expected

Voters chose in 2005, by a 2-1 margin, to create of a one-half cent sales tax for Highway 67 north. Funds were used to four-lane the road between Poplar Bluff and Fredericktown, or approximately 50 miles.

Poplar Bluff contributed about 17% of the cost of the project north, far less than expected. The city had anticipated paying about $60 million of the $180 million project. That dropped to approximately $30 million with the addition of state and federal money.

The sales tax was originally scheduled to continue until 2035, but the Highway 67 north project will be paid for in March 2020.

The city of Poplar Bluff is asking voters to continue the tax until 2035, to pay for improvements to 12 miles of Highway 67 south.

Benefits of the efforts

to four-lane Hwy. 67

The economic benefit to the city from the first project has been incredible, according to city manager Mark Massingham. It includes more than $200 million in new commercial construction since 2011 and over $64 million in commercial remodeling or additions, he has said. More has been seen in residential improvements.

The highway improvements contributed greatly to the decision of Empire Comfort Systems to build a new factory in Poplar Bluff, said Jay Eaton, vice president of operations. Production at the factory starts Monday.

The company is based in Belleville, Illinois, with a great deal of traffic north between there, Poplar Bluff and St. Louis, he said.

“If we were based out of Jonesboro, we may not have chosen Poplar Bluff,” said Eaton.

Hwy. 67 south project

The project south would make improvements to interstate standards. It is expected to cost a total of $50 million, with portions of that paid through state and federal programs.

If the measure passes, the city would begin applying for outside funds in the fall, according to Bill Robison, chairman of the Highway 67 Corporation, which has headed efforts for both projects. Approximately $35 million from state and federal programs would be sought.

“We are hopeful the breakdown of funding for 67 south will be similar to 67 north, with local, state and federal investments,” said Robison.

The Poplar Bluff sales tax would still end in 2035, or sooner if more funding comes from outside partners, he said. The tax generates about $2.5 million per year currently.

About 69 percent of the sales tax collected in Poplar Bluff comes from people who live outside this zip code, said Steve Halter, president of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce. The information comes from a retail market study done about five years ago.

Four-lane highways offer increased safety, said Allen Brooks, fleet operations manager of McLane Transport, which has 35 employees.

“The ultimate accomplishment from what we’ve experienced since we completed the four lane north is the safety factor that everybody gets to enjoy, but especially large trucks like we have,” he said. “We do a lot of business in St. Louis, that travel to St. Louis every week. It’s a whole lot safer for us.

“The same will be true to the south.”

A traffic crash analysis shows that Highway 67 north averaged about 93 accidents per year between 2003-2007, according to Robison, with information taken from a Missouri Department of Transportation traffic crash analysis.

The 67 north project was completed in 2011. The average number of accidents dropped to 69 accidents per year for the years 2013-2015.

The improved safety comes from separating traffic, allowing vehicles to pass without facing oncoming traffic, Brooks believes.

Transportation studies show an average of approximately 1,000 vehicles a day travel on Highway 67 south, according to MoDOT.