A portion of Roxie Road near Maud Street will close temporarily starting Monday for realignment with a new highway.
Construction of the second phase of Shelby Road is about 50 percent complete, Smith & Company Project Manager Dominic Thompson said last week.
Signal lights will be placed in the future at the Roxie Road intersection as part of this project, he explained. This requires changing the realignment of an approximately 900-foot section on either side of the new portion of Shelby (see map on page A10).
Roxie will reopen after about two weeks, weather allowing. The realigned section will be gravel until paving work begins in the fall. This area is about one-quarter of a mile west of Maud Street.
The second phase of Shelby Road will construct a 2.5 mile extension between Kanell Boulevard and Highway 53.
The approximately $10.4 million project is expected to be completed by January by Robertson Contractors. The roadbed has already been cleared for the length of the extension and work has begun on slopes.
The majority of the highway will be four lane with additional turn lanes at intersections.
A bridge deck has been complete near the Highway 53 intersection. New signal lights have been installed at that intersection, Thompson said.
The Highway 53 intersection will need work in the future to add two left lanes for northbound Westwood Boulevard. This is not expected to require closure of the intersection, although lane closures may be possible, Thompson said.
A walking trail will run the length of the extension, connecting to the trail on phase 1 of Shelby Road.
Local officials have praised the project, saying it will help future development of the city and county. Shelby Road has also been credited with helping attract developers of Eight Points retail area.
Bond debt issued under the Poplar Bluff Regional Transportation Development District will pay for the project, as well as phase 1 of Shelby Road and other projects.
Payments will be made with money collected from a 1-cent sales tax levied at more than 150 businesses on Oak Grove Road, Kanell Boulevard and Westwood Boulevard. Payments are expected to continue through 2039 and 2046 on the separate bond issuances.
Shelby Road is the final project for phase 1 of the PBRTDD projects.