SIKESTON—The Missouri Department of Transportation will hold 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 will be held at the Osage Centre in Meeting Room 2, located at 1625 North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
"Visitors can stop-by anytime between 4 and 6 p.m. to discuss the details of the project with a member of the project team and provide their comments," said Project Manager Jason Williams.
Williams explained DDIs improve safety by allowing motorists to make left turns without crossing in front of oncoming traffic. Left turns onto and from the interchange ramps are unopposed by cross-traffic. Left-turn, right-angle crashes have been significantly reduced or eliminated at the DDIs in operation in Missouri.
“After constructing the first DDI in the U.S. in Springfield, Mo., MoDOT has continued to construct DDIs across the state because of their proven results in regard to both safety and traffic flow,” he said. “DDIs work well in heavily trafficked areas. The Center Junction interchange currently carries around 23,000 vehicles per day, which makes a DDI a great solution to meet the area’s growing demands.”
Construction is expected to begin in summer 2019, with the completion anticipated in spring 2021.
During construction, the Interstate 55 bridges will be replaced one at a time to allow one lane of interstate traffic to flow in each direction. Route 61 is not expected to close, but work will frequently require traffic to be reduced to one lane in each direction.
“We understand construction will involve some short-term inconvenience for motorists, but in the long-term this project will provide needed improvements in both safety and congestion,” added Williams.
For more information, please contact Williams at (573) 472-5290, Area Engineer Brian Okenfuss at (573) 472-9046, Transportation Project Designer Jeff Wachter at (573) 472-5295 or MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK MODOT (275-6636). To view the meeting handout or comment on this project, please attend the online meeting available at: www.modot.org/southeast/news_and_information/public_meetings.
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