MoDOT to plan for interchange

The Missouri Department of Transportation will plan for a possible new interchange on Interstate 55 south of Scott City, the agency's district engineer said Monday.

MoDOT district engineer Mark Shelton said it's "the first step" toward getting a new interchange for the Scott City area.

The planning effort is included in the state's new five-year transportation improvement plan, which extends to June 30, 2012. The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the lengthy list of bridge and road projects at its July 18 meeting.

As a result, MoDOT's officially committed to planning for the Scott City interchange project over the next five years.

"This is good news," said Scott City Mayor Tim Porch. Scott City officials including Porch have lobbied for years for a new interchange to replace the existing one.

Porch said the existing interchange has proven to be a bottleneck. "Our problem is definitely traffic congestion," he said.

Scott City officials have complained about the existing traffic situation for decades, the mayor said. "We need something. We have been screaming and hollering about this," Porch said.

"In the morning, you can be backed up as far as 10 to 12 blocks into town," he said of the traffic congestion.

A new interchange could alleviate some of that congestion, Porch said.

The Bootheel Regional Planning Commission views the proposed interchange as a top transportation priority for the region.

Shelton said MoDOT has no specific timetable for the interchange planning work other than within the next five years. No specific amount of money has been budgeted for the planning, he said.

As part of the planning, MoDOT engineers will identifying a site for a new interchange.

Highway officials are looking to locate the interchange south of Scott City. But no specific site has been chosen.

Porch believes the interchange might be located about a quarter of a mile north of Route PP in the vicinity of an existing county road easement.

But he said he would prefer that a new interchange be built closer to the existing interchange.

The mayor said he would like to see the old interchange closed. "I would love to see the one we have disappear," he said.

But Shelton said MoDOT has made no decision about whether to retain the existing interchange. "That is all part of the whole planning thing," he said.

Federal approval is needed before any new interchange can be built, Shelton said.

No federal or state funding has been earmarked for construction of the proposed interchange.

Porch knows it could take years just to get to the construction stage.

But he remains optimistic. "Maybe we will get a new interchange in the next 10 years," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123