MEETING THURSDAY ON HIGHWAY 34/72 EXPANSION

JACKSON, Mo. -- A public meeting on the new plan to expand Highway 34/72 to four lanes in Jackson will be held from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the Jackson Middle School cafeteria.

Officials from the Missouri Department of Transportation will be on hand to gather public opinion about the plan. It would widen 3 1/2 miles of the highway from near the Highway 25 intersection to the point where Highway 34 turns west at Starlight.

The highway expansion plan previously was designed to increase the two-lane road to five lanes. Now MoDOT proposes a four-lane expansion. The change better addresses safety and congestion, according to MoDOT.