Counties Impacted
Ralls
Marion
Route Impacted
61
Work Type
Safety and Traffic Study

EIS Re-evaluation Study

 

The U.S. Route 61 Expressway, is not currently funded for construction.  Environmental work was completed several years ago along a potential location for the expressway.  The re-evaluation will review the feasibility of four alternatives that were presented in the 1996 Route 61 Marion/Ralls Counties Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)/Record of Decision (ROD).  The 1996 FEIS/ROD was initiated to investigate solutions to traffic congestion, delay, and safety on U.S. 61 through Hannibal and evaluated four roadway alternatives.  The alternatives re-evaluation will factor each alternative’s ability to meet the purpose and need for the project, natural, and socio-economic environmental impacts, engineering criteria, cost, and constructability.  These factors, in addition to public input, will help determine if there is a feasible alternative to move forward into further project development. 

To comply with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500 et seq.), the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), have initiated the U.S. 61 Hannibal Expressway EIS Re-Evaluation (The Study) for the proposed U.S. 61 Expressway in Marion and Ralls Counties, west of Hannibal, Missouri. The Study has two phases, first an Alternatives Feasibility Study followed by the NEPA Re-Evaluation of the 1996 FEIS/ROD for the U.S. 61 Expressway EIS.

This Study includes an initial review and analysis of the previously established alternatives in the FEIS/ROD, including the Preferred Alternative (Alignment F), to determine if a feasible alternative exists. If a feasible alternative is determined to exist, MoDOT will proceed with environmental analyses and NEPA re-evaluation documentation for environmental topics and resources to gain required FHWA environmental approvals to proceed with further project development. Preparation of the NEPA re-evaluation will build upon the work performed for the previous EIS with additional analyses performed as required to meet current MoDOT, CEQ, EPA, and FHWA requirements.

Project News

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Public engagement

Public Engagement

There are several opportunities for engagement during the study:

  • Stakeholder outreach occurred via two ways: (1) one-on-one and/or group meetings and (2) key stakeholder committee meetings.
  • Community Advisory Group (CAG) was established with meetings held during the course of the Study.  The CAG included a diverse representation from stakeholder groups. 
  • A Public meeting will be held during the study to gather input from the public.   
  • Project updates via posting information on the project website, sending out regular email updates and posting to social media will occur during the duration of the Study. 
  • Surveys were used to gather feedback from the community.

 

 

Click here to view all displays & information from the Public Information Meeting held Feb. 21, 2024

Previously Approved 1996 FEIS/ROD Information

The existing Route 61 Expressway through Hannibal, Missouri serves as a key link along the Avenue of the Saints corridor between St. Louis, Missouri and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. The previously approved 1996 FEIS/ROD approved a Preferred Alternative consisting of the construction of a 10-mile access-controlled, median separated expressway facility to complete the free-flowing Avenue of the Saints corridor within Missouri.

The purpose of any proposed improvements is to accommodate increased travel demands and improve safety on the existing Route 61 expressway corridor within Hannibal, Missouri. The 1996 FEIS/ROD stated that the proposed improvements were needed due to:

  • The current US 61 facility is inadequate for future traffic levels;
  • Projected traffic will create unacceptable levels of service;
  • Crash rates will likely increase; and
  • Signalized intersections on US 61 create delay and safety issues for through traffic. 

The new study will have the similar goals, however residential and commercial development and land use patterns have changed in the twenty-five years since the completion of the previous study.  New software and technology that was not available during the initial study will be used to re-evaluate the alternatives.  The alternatives re-evaluation will factor each alternative’s ability to meet the purpose and need for the project, natural, and socio-economic environmental impacts, engineering criteria, cost, and constructability.  These factors, in addition to public input, will help determine if there is a feasible alternative to move forward into further project development.