Highway 177 anti-flooding project on track for November finish

Construction to improve two sections of Highway 177 in Cape Girardeau County is "progressing well," according to state Department of Transportation resident engineer Kevin Plott.

The project to raise the roadway was proposed in order to solve flooding issues.

The north end of the project covers about a quarter mile from Rolling Hills Drive to Old Route V in Cape Girardeau in the Scism Creek area. The paving has been completed and will be finished after workers install a guardrail, paint traffic lines and seed the banks to prevent erosion.

The roadway on this section has been closed since construction began in early March and is on track to be finished by July 18, Plott said. Depending on the weather, crews will re-open this section and move on to the south portion of the project.

The construction of a new bridge south of County Road 657 suffered some slight delays because of some subsurface drilling that needed to be done, Plott said, adding workers were able to get back on schedule.

"The crews worked some weekend shifts to get caught up," Plott said.

The south end portion will be closed from County Road 643 to Cedar Hills Lane in Cape Girardeau, in the Juden Creek area.

The work zones are marked with signs directing a detour around the construction from Highway 74 to Interstate 55.

Previously, temporary measures during periods of flooding along the highway required MoDOT crews to place gravel on the roadway to allow traffic to pass and then remove it after the water subsided. Significant money and manpower will be saved when the improvements are completed, Plott noted.

Weather permitting, the project is on schedule for completion by Nov. 1.