Fewer vehicles good for Center Junction project

Work on the diverging diamond interchange project at Center Junction between Cape Girardeau and Jackson is running at or possibly slightly ahead of schedule, thanks, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s because Missouri’s “stay-at-home” order earlier this spring, meant to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, also reduced traffic at the interchange where Penzel Construction Co. is replacing bridges along Interstate 55 at the interstate’s junction with U.S. 61.

The project also involves construction of a “diverging diamond” interchange where traffic enters and exits I-55. During much of the work, U.S. 61 — also known as North Kingshighway east of I-55 and East Jackson Boulevard west of the interstate — has been reduced from four lanes of traffic down to two, one in each direction.

Having fewer vehicles passing through Center Junction “definitely made it a lot easier when we were transitioning from four lanes in all directions down to two lanes of head-to-head traffic,” according to Brian Holt, resident project engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation.

“It allowed the contractor to get that preparation work done a couple of weeks ahead of time,” he said.

Ongoing construction is seen from the Cape Girardeau side of Center Junction on Friday in Cape Girardeau County.Jacob Wiegand

By getting off to a fast start on the project, and barring any substantial weather delays or other unforeseen issues, Holt said Penzel should be able to replace southbound I-55 bridge and reopen the interstate’s southbound exit ramp by a Dec. 1 deadline for that phase of the project.

“With the progress they’re making, they should be able to make that (deadline) without any problem,” he said.

Phil Penzel, president of Penzel Construction, said he is “pleased with the progress” and said work would be even further ahead of schedule had it not been for significant rainfall during the first month or so of the project.

“When you have a rain spell, you often have to wait a day after the rain for things to dry up, so sometimes one day of rain costs you two days,” he said.

Crews are currently working on setting the foundation for piers that will support the new southbound interstate bridge over U.S. 61.

Ongoing construction is seen from the Cape Girardeau side of Center Junction on Friday in Cape Girardeau County.Jacob Wiegand

“That work will probably carry over into July,” Penzel said. “Once we get that done and we get our foundation in, I think things are going to go pretty rapidly.”

He said motorists passing through the construction zone have been very understanding and have seemed not to mind any inconvenience caused by the highway work.

“The public has been wonderful and unbelievably patient,” Penzel said. “There have been a few that failed to read the signs and then try to turn where they aren’t supposed to turn, which can cause an issue, but the police and the highway patrol have done a wonderful job of keeping people focused.”

Once the southbound interstate bridge is installed and open to traffic, construction crews will focus on replacing the northbound bridge while simultaneously completing the diverging diamond interchange along U.S. 61. The entire project is scheduled for completion by November 2021, at a cost of nearly $17.5 million.

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Ongoing construction is seen from the Cape Girardeau side of Center Junction on Friday in Cape Girardeau County.Jacob Wiegand