Construction of Scott City interchange set to begin; some question project benefit

Construction will begin later this month on a new, $16 million Interstate 55 interchange south of Scott City, even as some area residents question the project.

Missouri Department of Transportation project manager Eric Krapf said Monday the additional interchange should reduce traffic congestion in the Scott City area and provide easier interstate access for Kelso, Missouri, residents.

But Kelso Mayor Larry McClain said he and other residents of his village along U.S. 61 aren’t sold on the project.

“I don’t see a big benefit for any of us, to be honest with you,” he said.

Scott City Mayor Ron Cummins could not be reached for comment. Cummins did not return voice messages left on his cellphone Monday by the Southeast Missourian.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded the contract to Emery Sapp & Sons Inc. of Columbia, Missouri, in June.

Krapf said the project involves replacing the Route PP overpass with a wider three-lane span and entrance and exit ramps.

The wider bridge will allow for vehicle turning movements for the new interchange, Krapf said.

A new bridge also will be constructed on Route PP over Ramsey Creek just east of the interchange, he said.

The project will include construction of a new roadway from U.S. 61 at Kelso to the new interchange.

It also will involve connecting the interchange to Scott County Road 311 and improving that roadway that connects to the south end of Scott City, Krapf said.

Construction could take three years, he said, adding the contract calls for the work to be completed by June 2020.

But according to a MoDOT news release, the project could be completed by January 2019.

Krapf said MoDOT staff will know a more specific timetable for completion once they meet with the contractor to review a construction schedule later this month.

He said the timetable depends partly how much time it will take for fill dirt to settle.

The project involves a lot of fill dirt, he said.

“Some fill dirt takes two to three years to settle,” Krapf added.

Krapf said both state-maintained bridges need to be replaced.

“Both of these bridges are pretty well at the end of their service life,” he said.

Constructing a new Route PP bridge over Interstate 55 and turning it into an interchange should alleviate some of the traffic congestion at the existing Scott City interchange, he said.

The new interchange will be about 2.5 miles south of the existing interchange, Krapf said.

Once completed, the new interchange will make it easier for Kelso-area motorists to get on and off the interstate and avoid having to take U.S. 61 to reach the congested Scott City interchange, he said.

But McClain said students and staff at the Scott City School District campus account for much of the traffic congestion at the existing interchange. The new interchange won’t alleviate that, he said.

Construction of the new interchange will close the Route PP overpass, inconveniencing parents bringing their children to St. Augustine elementary school in Kelso and farmers moving tractors and other large farm equipment in the area, McClain said.

They will have to go through Scott City and go over railroad tracks to get across I-55 during construction or cross down near Benton, Missouri, he said.

Bringing more motorists through Scott City while the new interchange is being built will pose traffic “safety issues,” he said.

McClain said the construction project will connect U.S. 61 to the new interchange in what amounts to realigning Highway 61.

The existing highway through Kelso will become “Business Highway 61,” he said.

“I know progress has its drawbacks,” McClain said.

But with state finances being tight, McClain suggested MoDOT could make better use of $16 million than constructing a new interchange.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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