Districts Impacted

Southeast
Counties Impacted
Cape Girardeau
Project Status
Planning Phase
Route Impacted
Interstate 55

Project Milestones

Complete
Public Meeting
August 2018
Complete
MHTC Award
Jan. 2020
Not Started
Construction Begins
Feb. 2020

Learn More >

Not Started
Completion Anticipated
TBD

Construction of Center Junction Diverging Diamond Interchange Set to Begin

Construction of the Diverging Diamond Interchange at Interstate 55 and Route 61 (mile marker 99) between Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Missouri, is set to begin with a series of lane reductions on I-55 throughout February and March. 

Weather permitting, the following work will take place on I-55 at Exit 99:

  • The right lane of southbound I-55 will be closed from Tuesday, Feb. 18 through Wednesday, Feb. 19 from 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily, to lengthen the acceleration ramp;
  • The left lane of southbound I-55 will be closed from Thursday, Feb. 20 through Saturday, Feb. 22, to begin construction on the crossover. This closure will be in place 24-hours;
  • The right lane of northbound I-55 will be closed from Monday, Feb. 24 through Friday, Feb. 28 from 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily to lengthen the acceleration ramp, and;
  • Various lane closures, with a 10-foot width restriction, will take place on northbound I-55 from Monday, March 2 through Friday, April 3 to begin construction for the crossover. These closures will be in place for 24-hours.

About

A $17,476,608 contract was awarded to Penzel Construction Co., Inc., for construction of a diverging diamond interchange and replacement of two Interstate 55 bridges at the intersection of Interstate 55 and Route 61 (Kingshighway/Jackson Boulevard) in Cape Girardeau County in January 2020.

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.

 

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.

Public Meeting Materials: