Lawrence County – I-44 drivers in the Mount Vernon area of Lawrence County can expect delays and lane closings when a project to replace the pavement in the eastbound and westbound lanes begins the week of August 6, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.
Contractor crews will remove and replace concrete pavement along a four-and-a-half mile stretch of I-44 from approximately Lawrence County Road 1010 and Missouri Route 97 (between mile markers 33 and 38), near Sarcoxie and Stotts City. Crews will start in the eastbound lanes.
Traffic impacts:
- The week of August 6 and lasting about four weeks, temporary crossovers will be built in the median of I-44 at each end of the project.
- The week of September 10, I-44 traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction and shifted to the eastbound lanes so contractor crews can begin work in the westbound lanes.
- When the westbound lanes are completed, contractor crews will move to the eastbound lanes, shifting two-way traffic into the eastbound lanes
- Motorists can expect major traffic delays and a reduced speed limit of 60 mph through the work zone
- Drivers are urged to seek alternate routes to avoid the construction
Weather and/or unforeseen delays will alter the work schedule.
Project information:
- Prime contractor: Emery Sapp & Sons, Columbia
- Total project cost: $4.4 million
- Contract completion date: Dec. 15, 2018 (Traffic is expected back in its original lanes by the end of November)
(For more information, call MoDOT in Springfield at 417-895-7600 or visit www.modot.org/southwest)
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