HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT WILL HOST PUBLIC MEETING HERE MARCH 10

JACKSON -- The Missouri Highway and Transportation Department District 10 office will host a public meeting in Jackson, on Thursday, March 10, to explain the 1994 highway construction and improvement program in Southeast Missouri. They will gather public input for prioritizing future highway construction projects in the district from 1996 through 2007.

"This meeting will give us a chance to discuss highway construction plans and hear comments on future priorities in our 1995 program and our 15-year road and bridge improvement program," said Freeman McCullah, district 10 highway engineer.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall, located on Highway 61, at the north edge of town.

McCullah said the meeting will use an open-house format that will allow people to meet informally with the department staff to discuss area highway concerns.

No formal presentations will be made outside of opening remarks by department personnel. However, written and oral comments are welcome.

McCullah said the meeting is a follow-up to previous annual meetings held to gather public input on construction projects in the district. Other items that will be discussed at the meeting include funding, federal legislation, safety and highway corridors.

Said McCullah, "People want safer roads, greater mobility and improvement of existing roads and bridges. The highway construction program for the next 15 years includes upgrading more two-lane routes to four lanes, improvement of some two-lane routes and wider shoulders on many roads.

"All highway work can't be done at once; priorities must be assigned to projects. The public can help us determine those priorities based on their interests."