Gov. Parson discusses $5.7 million cost-share program for I-57 project

“This is what it’s all about ... coming here today as governor and working with the cities and counties to make things better,” Gov. Mike Parson told a gathered crowd Tuesday afternoon as he discussed $5.7 million in cost-share funding for the paving of the future I-57 highway south of Poplar Bluff.

“This is what we should be doing,” Parson said. “Two things I firmly believe in to make our state better are workforce development and infrastructure. You can’t do one without the other.”

Parson said he’s “always looking at ways to improve the state and its economy, and infrastructure plays a key role in that, but at the end of the day, it’s about making sure the next generation has all the opportunities we’ve all had and we get to make it better for them, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today.”

Gov. Mike Parson speaks Tuesday with Poplar Bluff Mayor Robert Smith. DAR/Paul Davis

“We’re excited the governor is here today to talk about the $5.7 million investment that he’s given to this project,” said Highway 67 Corporation Chairman Bill Robison. “We know the $50 million cost-share program is highly competitive and there are many good projects in our state, and we appreciate the $5.7 million for this project.”

The cost-share funding, matched by the Highway 67 Corporation and local citizens through a sales tax vote, Robison said, has provided a significant boost to the project.

“We stand here today because of the hard work of so many people,” he said, recognizing city and county leaders, the Highway 67 Corporation, the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission, MoDOT and others.

Gov. Mike Parson speaks Tuesday during an event in Butler County to discuss funding for a four lane project on Highway 67 south. DAR/Paul Davis

“All of these upgrades have been possible through partnerships with others,” added MoDOT Assistant District Engineer Andrew Meyer. “It’s a big deal for this district. The Highway 67 Corporation and the city have stepped up and matched the available funding. That allows us to extend this corridor further to the south and bring safety improvements and, hopefully, economic development to this area.”

MoDOT funding, Meyer said, has essentially put the department into “asset management mode, and we’re trying to maintain the system that we have with the resources we have available. We’re not doing a lot of system expansion.

“We really can’t afford to do a project like this without outside funding, so this cost-share program through the governor is a windfall. It’s really a great opportunity.”

This map shows sections of the Highway 67 south four lane project, and what programs will help provide funding. Photo provided

With the governor’s cost-share money, the “first two miles (from the Highway 160/158 intersection south) are officially funded,” Robison said.

Beyond that, the next two miles of work has been approved through a MoDOT cost-share program.

“Today, we stand with four miles fully funded,” Robison said.

MoDOT is “taking the lead on construction,” Robison noted, and “we hope we’re ready to let bids in the next 12 to 14 months.”

Any time “you start to make a four-lane highway complete is a big thing,” Parson said. “No. 1, it’s a safety issue.”

Robison agreed, saying “we know from what we’ve seen on Highway 67 North that the accidents dropped dramatically (28%) when it was four-laned.”

Besides the safety improvements, the highway project, Parson said, also is expected to boost business well into the future.

“You’re going to benefit in the long run, and it’s a great opportunity for the folks in Poplar Bluff and for the business community,” he said. “If you’re going to have people use Poplar Bluff for a distribution center, you’re going to grow business here, and you’ve got to have a transportation system that will support that.”