I-66 project to be raised at gathering in Sikeston

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A public meeting on the proposed Interstate 66 project will be held Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Missouri Department of Transportation office in Sikeston.

Highway officials said the open-house style meeting is part of a study by Kentucky and Missouri highway officials who are looking at the possibility of a new highway being constructed in the region.

Kentucky has embarked on a $500,000 study to determine the best route for a new interstate highway through western Kentucky. The Missouri Department of Transportation is providing $50,000 and may give as much as $100,000 toward the study, which is scheduled to be completed in May.

Cape Girardeau civic leaders want a new highway to be routed through Southern Illinois and across the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge being constructed at Cape Girardeau. But Charleston, Mo., civic leaders want the route to bypass Southern Illinois and cross the Mississippi River farther south to boost economic development in Mississippi County.

Scott Meyer, MoDOT district engineer in Sikeston, said the meeting will allow area residents to meet with Missouri and Kentucky highway officials one-on-one to talk about the project.

The MoDOT office is at 2675 N. Main St. in the Sikeston Business, Education and Technology Park.