Officials: Detours in Jackson going smoothly

School and city officials say minus a few hiccups, the rerouting of traffic away from U.S. 61 from the uptown district to Route D has gone better than expected.

The Missouri Department of Transportation closed off the highway this week as part of a project that will add turn lanes and replace a bridge near the city park's swimming pool entrance. The project's completion will require approximately 13 months of construction.

While officials say the detours and traffic transition has gone smoothly in the days after closing a section of U.S. 61, the construction of a bridge near the intersection of Highway D might cause Jackson's annual Christmas display to be canceled.Bob Miller ~ Southeast Missourian

While officials say the detours and traffic transition has gone smoothly in the days after closing a section of U.S. 61, the construction of a bridge near the intersection of Highway D might cause Jackson's annual Christmas display to be canceled.Bob Miller ~ Southeast Missourian

Scott Smith, Jackson schools superintendent, said no serious bus delays were reported.

He said the inconvenience of the detours have likely had more of a collective effect on parents who drop their children off at school, or high school students who drive.

Jackson City Public Works director Janet Sanders said the city received a few reports that motorists coming from the uptown area were not familiar with the streets in neighborhoods, and found themselves having to back up on a dead-end street. She said MoDOT put up signs to prevent that from repeating.

"It actually has gone better than I expected," Sanders said. "I personally was surprised that the school traffic problem wasn't what we were expecting it to be."

Sanders said truck traffic should not be using the residential streets unless they are making local deliveries. MoDOT is routing truck traffic to Interstate 55.

Local motorists coming from the east side of town are more likely to use Greensferry as a route to connect back to 61 via Deerwood Drive. Those coming from the west are more likely to take Route D, Farmington and East Jackson Boulevard.

So far, officials said motorists have made adjustments without major problems. Jackson residents will have to deal with these detours for more than a year, meaning a handful of more residential streets will bear much of the traffic that flowed through the uptown area.

Jackson parks director Jason Lipe told the Southeast Missourian that he feared construction might limit or cancel the city's Christmas light display. But he got word late Thursday afternoon that the timing of the bridge's construction is such that the popular holiday drive-through display will not be affected.