Springfield, Greene County – A project to rebuild the outside two lanes of U.S. Route 65 between Kearney Street and Sunshine Street in Springfield during summer 2017 will be the focus of a public meeting on February 7, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.
The project will have major impacts to Route 65 traffic for up to 60 calendar days between May 1 and October 1, 2017.
To allow area residents to view the project details and ask questions, a public meeting will be held from 4 until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7, at the MoDOT Southwest District Office at 3025 E. Kearney Street. The meeting will be come-and-go style with 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 segments between interchanges for a total of 60 calendar days sometime after May 1. An exact timeline for the work will be determined when a contractor is hired in April. MoDOT will hold another public meeting at that time to share the project schedule with details about which lanes will be impacted and when.
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.
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 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
- Route 65 OPEN during Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day holidays
- Exact schedule available in mid-April to early May
The estimated total project cost is $10.8 million
The overall project completion date is November 1, 2017. However, the pavement rebuilding portion of the project must be completed by October 1.
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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