Districts Impacted

Southeast
Counties Impacted
Cape Girardeau
Project Status
Completed
Route Impacted
Interstate 55

Project Milestones

Complete
Public Meeting
August 2018
Complete
MHTC Award
Jan. 2020
Complete
Construction Begins
Feb. 2020

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Complete
Completion Anticipated
Nov. 2021

RECENT NEWS

U.S. 61 to Close Overnight at Center Junction

Final Stages of Project to be Completed

SIKESTON – Construction of the diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 55 and U.S. Route 61 (mile marker 99) between Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Missouri, continues with nightly closures of U.S. 61 beginning Monday, Oct. 4 through Friday, Oct. 22.

Contractor crews will continue work on U.S. 61 as the diverging diamond interchange project nears completion. Beginning Monday, Oct. 4 through Friday, Oct. 16, diamond grinding operations will take place. From Monday, Oct. 18 through Friday, Oct. 22, crews will be striping the lanes in preparation for project completion.

Weather permitting, work will take place nightly, requiring a full closure of U.S. 61 from Orchard Road to Veterans Drive from 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. All interstate ramps will remain open to right turn movements only. Motorists should seek alternate routes during closures.

News Release > 

 

PROJECT DETAILS

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.

Photos from Dec. 22, 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:

News Release & Project Info Archive