MODOT TO MEAT WITH POTENTIALLY AFFECTED PROPERTY OWNERS LOCATED ALONG RECOMMENDED UPGRADE ROUTES

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will hold an open house meeting with property owners located along Route 34/72 west of Route 25 in Jackson to discuss the recommendation of a planning study that examined ways to increase safe and efficient travel from the Jackson area to Cape Girardeau. The study recommended that the current 2-lane Route 34/72 west of Route 25 be upgraded to a 5-lane roadway.

The meeting will be held on Oct. 7 at the Jackson Middle School cafeteria from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The recommended improvement will require additional right of way and the purchase of several homes and businesses.

MoDOT representatives and their consultant will be on-hand to discuss this recommendation one-on-one with property owners while gathering comments and answering questions. There will be no formal presentation at the meeting.

"As the study begins to wind down, we will be talking with individual property owners in more detail on how the recommendation could affect them," MoDOT Project Manager DawnRae Clark said. "This communication will continue throughout the roadway design process."

The next phase of the project would involve the actual design of the expanded roadway. This process is anticipated to take possibly three years with any construction not beginning before 2002.

MoDOT has also studied ways to increase safe and efficient travel from Blomeyer to Cape Girardeau. A recommendation has been made to improve Route 74 from the intersection of Route 25 and Route 72 to I-55 in Cape Girardeau to a 4-lane divided roadway. Meetings with potentially affected property owners located along Route 74 will be held in the near future.

For more information, please contact Clark in MoDOT's district office in Sikeston by calling toll-free 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).