HANNIBAL – Palmyra drivers will be using a new Route 168 overpass bridge later this year, as well as a new northbound U.S. 61 acceleration lane. During construction, the overpass will be inaccessible. To help area drivers understand the closure and the improvements being made, a public informational meeting will be held on Thursday, January 19 from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative located on Business 61 in Palmyra. This is an open-house style meeting, so individuals may stop by anytime in those two hours to visit with MoDOT representatives about the project.
Construction is expected to start sometime this spring or summer, and the road will be closed at that time. “We expect the road to be closed up to three months,” said MoDOT Area Engineer Brian Haeffner, P.E. “However, to remove the existing bridge, we will have to hold a 24-hour closure on all lanes of U.S. 24/61, and this will be done overnight between a Saturday and a Sunday,” Haeffner added. Drivers will be notified of this closure well in advance.
Haeffner said a detour will be signed along the route. “The majority of the traffic on this road is local, so they will use their best alternate routes while the road is closed,” he said. Eastbound MO 168 traffic, drivers coming from town, will be able to access U.S. 61 southbound, but not U.S. 61 northbound during this time. Westbound MO 168 traffic will be able to access northbound U.S. 61, but not U.S. 61 southbound during this time.
The date of the closure will not be known until later this spring, and MoDOT will keep area drivers informed through local media. Those interested can also subscribe to the email and text notification system at https://www6.modot.mo.gov/eMoDOTWeb/jsp/signon/signon.jsp.