MoDOT lands on plan for Center Junction

Despite ongoing concerns of some nearby residents and business representatives, the Missouri Department of Transportation is moving forward with a Center Junction interchange construction plan that will preserve traffic flow on Highway 61 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson while closing Interstate 55 ramps north of the interchange for approximately seven months next year.

The Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of a resolution amending its FY 2020 to 2023 Transportation Improvement Program to include adequate funding for the project, which will include replacement of the 600-foot Interstate 55 bridges at Exit 99 with shorter spans and construction of a diverging diamond interchange along Highway 61 under the interstate.

MoDOT expects to complete plans for the project by early October, advertise for bids in November and open bids in December. The Missouri Highway Commission would then either accept a bid and award a construction contract in January or reject project bids as it did in June when bids came in significantly higher than project estimates. MoDOT had estimated the project would cost between $12 million and $13 million, but the low bid was more than $18 million.

The initial project plans called for Highway 61 and all ramps to and from I-55 to remain open throughout the construction period which is expected to last until late 2021. Contractors who bid the project at that time told MoDOT it would be too complicated and cost too much to maintain traffic access on Highway 61 and all ramps onto and off of I-55.

MoDOT subsequently proposed two alternate plans, one of which calls for a complete closure of Highway 61 at Center Junction for up to seven months while the other would keep one lane of Highway 61 open in either direction, but will require closure of the interstate ramps north of the interchange.

At their meeting Wednesday, SEMPO board members indicated it was better to temporarily close the ramp onto northbound I-55 and the interstate's southbound ramp onto Highway 61 than to close Highway 61 for much of 2020.

MoDOT district engineer Mark Shelton told the SEMPO board Wednesday language will be added to the contract to keep the contractor from closing the interstate ramps until absolutely necessary and reopening them as quickly as possible, no later than Dec. 1, 2020. In addition, he said MoDOT could add temporary traffic signals at the entrance to the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex during the construction period to allow traffic to make left turns onto Highway 61 toward Cape Girardeau.

When the entire project is complete by late 2021, Shelton said the reconfigured interchange "will provide opportunities for significant additional economic development around the interstate, so we believe there are some good benefits to this project."

Still, several people, including Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs, said they believe there will be a negative financial impact on businesses near the interchange during the construction period, especially while the interstate ramps are closed.

"I am disappointed," said Hahs, a member of the SEMPO board. "I think it will be very detrimental to our businesses."

He estimated businesses near the construction zone will suffer more than a 20% loss in sales while the interstate ramps are closed "and that will more than eat up the money we're trying to save versus the bid that was rejected."

In preparation for the project, Hahs said Jackson will proceed with roundabout construction this winter at the intersection of Shawnee Boulevard and East Main Street and will try to have it finished before the interchange project begins next spring. There is currently a four-way stop at the intersection, which will likely become an alternate route for traffic between Jackson and the Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange at I-55's Exit 102.

Several Jackson residents, including Rick Sinclair, raised concerns limiting traffic near Center Junction will hurt business owners. "This is devastating to small businesses," he said. "We're talking about people closing their doors."

SEMPO board member and Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO John Mehner told the group the economic impact and inconvenience during the construction may not be as bad as people expect. "I actually had a couple of Jackson resident suggest to me they would be less apt to come to Cape on 61 and would probably go to restaurants and retail stores in Jackson (during the construction)," he said. "I'm not saying there's not going to be an impact. We just don't know what that impact is going to be."

"Let's hope the seven to nine months (when the interstate ramps are closed) can pass very quickly and we can get through this," said Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox, who chairs the SEMPO board. "No matter what you've do construction-wise, it disrupts a lot of things and sometimes for a lot longer than people like. I wish there was a better way to accomplish things, but sometimes there's not."

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