Project Milestones
About
In an effort to improve safety and traffic flow, the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to replace the Interstate 55 bridges over Highway 61 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson and convert the existing interchange to a diverging diamond interchange.
What are the benefits of converting the existing interchange to a diverging diamond interchange?
Diverging diamond interchanges work well in areas of heavy traffic. Approximately 23,000 vehicles per day travel through the interchange. A major benefit of the DDI design is it allows motorists to make left turns without crossing in front of oncoming traffic. It will also improve traffic flow onto and off of the interstate ramps.
What is the timeline for this project?
Construction on the approximately $10 million project is scheduled to begin in summer 2019, with the completion anticipated in spring 2021.
How will work impact traffic?
Construction will involve some short-term inconvenience for motorists, but provide long-term improvements in both safety and congestion. The Interstate 55 bridges will be replaced one at a time to allow one lane of interstate traffic to flow in each direction during construction. The construction is not expected to completely close Highway 61; however, work will frequently require traffic to be reduced to one lane in each direction.
Project Archive
Public Meeting Held August 21, 2018
MoDOT held a public meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21 to discuss replacing the Interstate 55 bridges over Highway 61 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Mo., and converting the existing interchange to a diverging diamond interchange (DDI). The meeting was held at the Osage Centre in Meeting Room 2, located at 1625 North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, Mo.