Fighting floods: Work to elevate Route 177 to begin next month

Two sections of Highway 177 will soon be elevated in an effort to mitigate flooding.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) announced Tuesday crews will begin work on Highway 177 in Cape Girardeau County as soon as March.

MoDOT engineer Kevin Plott said Highway 177 floods whenever the Mississippi River surpasses a high elevation.

"Over the last few years, it seems like it's happened [flooded] pretty regularly; close to once a year," Plott said.

MoDOT engineer Chris Crocker said elevating Highway 177 has been on the agency's radar for quite some time. The scope of the project was determined after a string of flooding in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Poplar Bluff, Missouri-based Robertson Contractors will carry out construction. MoDOT awarded the company a $3.8 million contract.

Crews will work on two sections of Highway 177. Weather permitting, construction will begin on the north end of the project at 6 a.m. March 7. Once crews complete work on the north end, construction will begin on the south end of the project.

The north end of the project will aim to improve the Scism Creek area located from Rolling Hills Drive to Old Route V in Cape Girardeau. Here, contractor crews will raise the roadway 7 to 8 feet, according to Plott.

In addition, a bridge will be constructed just south of County Road 651 to replace a box culvert.

The south end of the project involves improvements to the Juden Creek area, from County Road 643 to Cedar Hills Lane.

The road in this area may be raised roughly 10 to 11 feet in certain areas, Crocker said. Depths are determined by high water data.

"Most of our roadways are not in a floodplain, or if they are, they've already been elevated," Crocker said. "It's kind of a unique project where we're having to go in and raise a couple of sections of the roadway."

The roadway's centerline in the southern section will be relocated slightly to the south of its existing location. This will require a slight realignment of County Road 657, according to a release from MoDOT.

MoDOT staff anticipate the Highway 177 project will be completed Nov. 1.

Work zones will be marked with signs.