From bad to worst

PATTON, Mo. -- The bridges are 80 years old and much too narrow.

The curves are too tight and numerous. The intersections are dangerous and the straight stretches are too few and too far between.

But Missouri Department of Transportation officials didn't hold a public meeting Tuesday night at Meadow Heights school cafeteria to find out what is bad about Highway 72 from Fredericktown to Patton.

They came to find out what is the worst.

About 25 people from the Patton area attended the meeting and filled out questionnaires and surveys related to improvements scheduled for the highway that winds through the western half of Bollinger County and the eastern half of Madison County.

MoDOT officials say they'll use the information to come up with an attack plan to address the highway's concerns. Another public meeting has been scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday in at the Madison County Senior Center in Fredericktown.

MoDOT can't fix all the highway's problems, project manager Tim Richmond said, because of budget constraints. But the public meetings are a good place to start putting plans in motion.

The surveys had residents prioritize problems and locations that should receive the most attention.

So far, the plans call for the highway to be widened from 11-foot lanes to 12-foot lanes with 6-foot paved shoulders. The plans also call for only one straightening project, a bridge location in Madison County over Castor River.

"The road definitely needs straightened out," said Patton resident Chris Lawrence, who lives along the highway and drives a truck for Bollinger Farms. "This is an important east and west route in this area. It's used a lot."

Bridge factor

The replacement of two bridges, one over Castor River and the other over Cape Creek, are absolutely necessary. The old bridges are the reason MoDOT is starting from Route OO in Fredericktown and working eastward, instead of starting in Jackson and heading west.

"I've drove this road no telling how many times," Lawrence said. "One thing I think is important is that these bridges are too narrow for trucks to pass each other on. It's tight. Some of the guys have broken mirrors on those bridges."

Some concerned residents came Tuesday night to point out the poor visibility at the junction of highways 72 and 51, also called Patton Junction. Others used the aerial maps on display to point out places with poor visibility when turning from county roads.

Others came for economic reasons.

Bob Fulton, who lives in the Patton area and serves on the Bollinger County Development Committee, said he hopes for a highway that will make transportation easier and might spur development in the county.

"The quality of the roads and highways in Bollinger County are so poor, residential and commercial development has been held back," he said. "This project could have a big bearing on the future of Bollinger County."

Fulton said he would also like to see MoDOT list the most urgent projects along the entire stretch of 72 from Fredericktown and Jackson and complete them in order of safety. MoDOT officials say the project will be done one segment at a time.

The project will affect many homeowners personally. Right-of-way acquisition is slated to begin about this time next year.

"My house is close to the road and I was wondering how much of my yard they might want to take," said Michelle Karn, who lives seven miles west of Patton.

MoDOT roughly estimates that construction will begin in July 2005 and take about a year to complete at a cost of $12 million to $16 million.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635