HANNIBAL - The Missouri Department of Transportation will make improvements at the U.S. 61/24 and Route F intersection south of Palmyra next year and is currently in the final design phase of the project. A public informational meeting is being held Tuesday, March 26 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Marion County Courthouse in Palmyra in the upper courtroom. The meeting will begin with a formal presentation by MoDOT with questions and open discussion to follow.
Almost two years ago, a citizen’s advisory group was formed to help MoDOT identify the viable options to reduce fatalities and disabling injuries at the intersection. Eight area residents, leaders and elected officials participated in the CAG, which ultimately determined a median u-turn would be the best solution.
The median u-turns to be installed at this intersection are unique to coordinate with the existing U.S. 24/61 interchange. Near Route F, motorists will utilize a newly constructed deceleration lane to cross southbound Route 61 at a new location with better visibility of oncoming traffic. After crossing Route 61, Route F destined vehicles will enter a dedicated right turn lane to access Route F. A complimentary median u-turn point will be located on U.S. 24 to complete the intersection redesign. “Even though the median u-turn design is unique for this area, the overall concept is still maintained. The usage of the median u-turn design has proven to greatly reduce, or even eliminate, a significant number of severe crashes when drivers must cross over busy highways to reach another road,” said MoDOT Project Manager Kim Trainor, P.E.
There are 19 similar intersections currently installed throughout Missouri, and the results show they have nearly eliminated disabling injuries and fatalities.
Information from the public meeting including displays, the presentation and the handout will be made available on the project web page at https://www.modot.org/us-route-24. For email updates about the project, go to https://www6.modot.mo.gov/eMoDOTWeb/jsp/signon/signon.jsp.