Extra turn lane opens off I-55 in Scott City

An extra left turn lane from southbound Interstate 55 into Scott City opened Monday, a project aimed at keeping interstate traffic from backing up during the evening rush hour.

But some Scott City residents, including Mayor Tim Porch, see the construction as a stop-gap measure rather than a long-term solution.

The improvements, which cost less than $50,000 and were completed by state highway department crews, mean two left-turn lanes and one right-turn lane onto Route K, called Main Street inside the Scott City limits.

But Scott City Mayor Tim Porch still worries that the addition won't alleviate all the traffic congestion at the busy interchange. Scott City has a population of 4,500, but the exit also serves area residents traveling to and from the Kelso and Chaffee, Mo., areas.

The current Scott City exit was poorly designed, the mayor said. U.S. 61, Route K and Interstate 55 come together in an unusual configuration of onramps and offramps only yards from each other.

Porch wants a new interchange, but he said he understands the Missouri Department of Transportation's financial constraints. "They're doing what they can with what they've got," he said.

Stan Johnson, MoDOT area engineer, said the improvements may not be ideal, but the project was the best option available.

"It was cheap and we could do it with our own forces," he said.

Johnson said an inside left-turn lane will make it easier to get off the interstate and onto U.S. 61 without backing up traffic heading into Scott City.

Scott City resident Cindy Uhrhan works in Cape Girar-deau and travels through the exit daily. She went through the interchange Monday after work, and the traffic wasn't backed up onto I-55. Construction work at the Diversion Channel bridge north of Scott City has slowed southbound traffic on I-55 and eased traffic tie-ups at the exit, she said.

Uhrhan said the two left-turn lanes should help as long as drivers understand which lane they need to be in to get on U.S. 61 to head to Kelso and which one they should be in to proceed into Scott City.

"I am sure it is going to be confusing for a while," she said.

As part of the improvements, state highway crews widened Route K by moving guardrails back several feet. They are now up against the concrete piers that support the U.S. 61 overpass.

"We moved the guardrails back as far as we could," Johnson said.

As another method of relieving congestion, city officials want to build a bridge over Ramsey Creek to connect the town with its industrial park. That would allow motorists to get on and off I-55 at the Route AB/Nash Road exit, Porch said.

The city is looking for a way to finance the work.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123