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NewsApril 4, 2020

Traffic changes are slated to begin this coming week at Center Junction, weather permitting. Howard Hemmann, senior project manager and estimator with Penzel Construction, wrote in an email Thursday that, weather permitting, the traffic switch on Interstate 55 at exit 99 will begin at approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday...

Center junction is seen from Cape Girardeau on Friday as motorists traverse U.S. 61, below, and traffic moves along Interstate 55 overhead.
Center junction is seen from Cape Girardeau on Friday as motorists traverse U.S. 61, below, and traffic moves along Interstate 55 overhead.Jacob Wiegand

Traffic changes are slated to begin this coming week at Center Junction, weather permitting.

Howard Hemmann, senior project manager and estimator with Penzel Construction, wrote in an email Thursday that, weather permitting, the traffic switch on Interstate 55 at exit 99 will begin at approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Northbound and southbound I-55 traffic will each be reduced to one lane as crews work on the bridges spanning Center Junction.

"We are anticipating following with the head to head traffic on Highway 61 by Thursday, April 9," Hemmann said.

This is also dependent on weather, he said.

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Hemmann said the I-55 traffic should be fairly straightforward, with more involved changes on Highway 61/North Kingshighway.

A temporary traffic signal is in place at Cape County Park's main entrance, and an added turn around is at the east exit, he said.

"We will be placing signs, barricades, striping and channelizers to help direct the traffic to their destination," Hemmann said.

Hemmann said there will be no left turns for a 3-mile stretch of Highway 61, with right turns in and out only. "That will be the hardest for people to accept," he said.

A temporary traffic signal is also in place at the intersection of Route K and Highway 25 in Gordonville. The signal will remain until work at Center Junction is complete, to help accommodate anticipated increased traffic, MoDOT Southeast District area engineer Brian Okenfuss previously told the Southeast Missourian.

Motorists should exercise extreme caution in work zones, and take alternate routes where possible.

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