MoDOT warns of worst work zones

The Missouri Department of Transportation has put together a top 10 list of highway work zones to look out for in the middle of one of its largest-ever construction seasons. The list is ranked in descending order of impact on drivers.

Five years from now, 85 percent of all Missouri highways will be in good condition and a lot of work is going on this year to accomplish that, according to MoDOT spokesman Jeff Briggs.

The construction of the diamond interchange at the connection of Jackson's proposed East Main Street extension and Cape Girardeau's proposed LaSalle Avenue on Interstate 55 is ranked No. 8 on the list. That stretch of I-55 carries an average of 9,500 vehicles daily, according to MoDOT traffic counts.

Andy Meyer, MoDOT project manager, said the I-55 project is expected to be complete by spring or summer of 2008.

When contractors start building the two overpasses in the middle of July, weather cooperating, traffic will be diverted around the construction sites. There will be head-to-head traffic on the east side of the interstate. Ten to 15-minute delays are possible during construction, according to Tonya Wells, community relations specialist for MoDOT's southeast district.

"Missouri's roads are getting better in a big way this year," said MoDOT director Pete Rahn. "But that means there will be growing pains for the next few months."

For more information on other projects, go to www.modot.org.

tkrakowiak@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137