Springfield, Greene County – Springfield area residents and businesses interested in the Route 65 pavement reconstruction project timeline and when traffic impacts will start later this summer are encouraged to attend a public meeting on Tuesday afternoon, May 23, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.
MoDOT officials and contractor representatives will be one hand to share details about when traffic impacts can be expected and where contractors plan to start with the Route 65 rebuild project.
The come-and-go style public meeting will take place between 4:30 and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, at the MoDOT Southwest District Office at 3025 E. Kearney Street. There will be NO FORMAL PRESENTATION.
Those unable to attend the in-person meeting can visit an online public meeting at www.modot.org/southwest.
“Route 65: THE REBUILD” project, as it’s being called, will replace the two outside highway lanes in each direction between Kearney Street and Sunshine Street. The original pavement, built in the 1970s, has outlived its useful life and is deteriorating to the point where it must be replaced. The inside lane in each direction closest to the median is new pavement which was constructed in 2010-2011 when Route 65 was widened to six lanes. No work will be done to the two inside, new lanes.
To complete the project quickly and safely, Route 65 will be CLOSED in one direction at a time and in short segments between interchanges for a total of up to 60 calendar days – 30 days in each direction.
Because of the major traffic impacts the project will cause, MoDOT has been working with local transportation stakeholders, tourism officials, and city and county leaders to make them aware of the project and the expected traffic impacts.
Preliminary work begins in early June:
Contractor crews will survey the project starting the week of June 5. Drivers can expect nighttime lane closings in areas along southbound Route 65 between Kearney and Sunshine Streets. The week of June 12, crews will work in the northbound direction.
Crews will be on the road in areas between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. During the work, two lanes of southbound or two lanes of northbound will be closed. Crews will only work in one direction at a time and will only close lanes in one direction at a time.
Here’s a look at the Route 65 project:
- Rebuild outside two lanes of Route 65 (the original pavement built in 1970s) in each direction between Kearney Street and Sunshine Street
- Rebuild or repair interchange ramps
- Upgrade guardrail
- Rebuild outside shoulders along Route 65 between Kearney Street and Sunshine Street
Here’s a look at traffic impacts during construction:
- Route 65 CLOSED in one direction at a time in short segments between interchanges between Kearney Street and Sunshine Street
- Signed detour: I-44 to Route 360/60 (James River Freeway)
- Interchange ramps CLOSED at times
- Route 65 closed a maximum of 60 days; 30 days in each direction
- Route 65 OPEN during July 4th and Labor Day holidays
The total project cost is $7.9 million.
Prime contractor: Millstone Weber, Inc. or St. Charles, Mo.
The overall project completion date is November 1, 2017.
A second project to rebuild the outside two lanes of Route 65 between Sunshine Street and Route 60 and rebuild another section from I-44 to Kearney Street could take place as early as 2019.
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