Ceremony marks finish of Highway 34/72 project

After five years filled with challenges, the Missouri Department of Transportation project on Highway 34/72 in Jackson has come to an end.

MoDOT officials gathered with area politicians for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning at the intersection of highways 34 and 72, known as the Starlight intersection.

"This has been a challenging project," MoDOT Southeast District engineer Mark Shelton said in his opening remarks.

The improvements to the highway included widening it to four lanes, resurfacing the road, installing traffic signals at intersections and constructing a raised median. The improved section runs three and a half miles from County Road 335 to the Starlight intersection and cost about $18 million.

The project was expected to be finished by the end of 2008, but delays in moving utility lines and acquiring land slowed construction. Poor weather conditions and a number of public meetings to determine the locations of access points and breaks in the median also contributed to the delay.

MoDOT Southeast region project manager Eric Krapf said traffic congested the highway before the improvements were made. He said the high number of road access points and locations where drivers could make left-hand turns, which cause most serious accidents, were major safety concerns.

Speakers at the ceremony included Shelton, Rep. Billy Pat Wright, Mayor Barbara Lohr, Tom Schulte on behalf of Sen. Kit Bond, and Kristi Nitsch on behalf of Rep. Jo Ann Emerson.

"This is a great project, number one, for safety," Lohr said.

Lohr and others also made reference to the economic benefits of the highway improvements.

"You're going to see a lot more sustainable development going on along the corridor," Krapf said.

He said the improved infrastructure will provide people from surrounding counties better access to the businesses and services of Jackson.

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