Construction crews have recently made noticeable progress on certain parts of the $5.2 million Highway 34/72 widening project in Jackson.
The most obvious sign of work is the concrete that has been poured on the bridge over Hubble Creek.
Paul Koeper, the vice president of Penzel Construction, said the northern section of the bridge should be opened as a bypass in the middle of next month.
"That will probably slow down traffic, at least for the first week or so as people get used to it," he said.
Penzel workers also have erected a few retaining walls, which are about 60 to 70 percent complete.
The crews have spent most of the winter on stormwater work. The next order of business is to do some curb and gutter work and then start laying some asphalt in the latter part of April.
"We've got along pretty good," Koeper said. "We had a snowfall in December that set us back a bit, but all the work we have been able to accomplish has gone well."
The project will widen Highway 34/72 from two lanes to four.
Koeper said the first phase of the project, extending from Highway 25 west to Main Street, is due for completion in December.
Construction of the second phase of the project, from Main Street to the city limits, will likely begin some time next spring, said Eric Krapf, the Missouri Department of Transportation project manager.
A contract for the second phase will be awarded in October of this year.
The idea, Krapf said, is for Phase 2 to get started just as Phase 1 wraps up. The third phase of the project will continue the widening from County Road 335 to the Highway 34/72 fork a few miles west of Jackson.
For the city's part, public works director Rodney Bollinger said he has three more sewer and water easements to secure before the city can start moving utility lines. He started with 12 to 15 and said the city should have that wrapped up "well before" MoDOT accepts the bids.
Electric director Don Schuette said he plans to relocate electric lines in May or June.
According to Krapf and Koeper, there haven't been any major setbacks since a design error concerning a retaining wall was discovered early on. Some utilities had to be moved for the second time to make room for the underground retaining wall supports.
Schuette said he was out Tuesday still trying to figure out a way to work around the problem and support a utility pole while workers excavated around it.
bmiller@semissourian.com
243-6635
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