The first visible signs of Highway 67 south’s transition to future Interstate 57 could come as early as August.
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a contract Thursday to H.R. Quadri Contractors for Phase 1A of the four-lane upgrade.
The $7.44 million project will include the first mile of Highway 67 south work. The upgrade will take place from Route 160 to County Road 360.
“I would expect the contractor to begin Phase 1A in August or September with completion in the fall of 2023,” said Bill Robison, Highway 67 Corporation chairman. “Phase 1B and Phase 2 would start in the spring of 2023 with completion late 2024.”
Phases 1 and 2 include the first two miles of the project, which are funded by a combination of state, federal and local money.
Local money comes from Poplar Bluff’s Highway 67 sales tax, while state money includes $2.7 million through Governor Mike Parson’s cost-share program.
Officials have applied for a RAISE grant for Phase 3, which would complete the roadway to approximately Route 142, Robison said. Phase 4 is not funded yet.
The total project includes 12 miles south of Poplar Bluff to the Arkansas border.
In December, officials said the Missouri Department of Transportation is doing work to prepare for when funding is secured. Work on the detail design for the next six miles is underway. The environmental clearances have been secured for those six miles. MoDOT is also in the process of securing environmental clearances as far as they need to go on the remainder of the southern route.
The I-57 corridor will travel from Sikeston to Dexter and Poplar Bluff, before heading into Arkansas along Highway 67 south.
Another 42 miles of road will also need to be upgraded in Arkansas to make the final I-57 connection between Butler County and Little Rock, Arkansas.