PLANS FOR IMPROVING HIGHWAY 34 ADVANCE

The long and winding Highway 34 from Van Buren to Jackson could be straightened and even widened to four lanes in some areas as part of road improvement plans taking shape.

Bypasses could be built at Marble Hill and Piedmont to ease traffic congestion through those cities, state highway officials said.

The Missouri Department of Transportation, aided by a St. Louis engineering firm, is examining what improvements are needed on the 85-mile route.

MoDOT, which held initial public meetings on the issue last summer, has scheduled a second set of meetings next month to discuss possible highway improvements. Meetings will be held in Piedmont, Jackson and Marble Hill.

MoDOT has rejected the idea of building a new section of roadway to connect directly to Interstate 55 at either Route K or near Fruitland. The state has decided to focus on improving Highway 34 only as far as its junction with Highway 72 at Jackson.

A new roadway connecting to Interstate 55 wouldn't draw enough traffic to warrant the cost of construction, said DawnRae Vaught, MoDOT project manager in Sikeston.

Traffic surveys show that two lanes will more than handle the amount of traffic expected to use the road in the next 20 years, MoDOT officials said.

Many motorists prefer to travel east and west on improved U.S. 60. Traffic surveys show that no more than 500 motorists a day would divert from U.S. 60 if Highway 34 were improved from Van Buren to Jackson.

Vaught said about 10,000 to 13,000 vehicles a day travel through the Piedmont area in Wayne County and Highway 72 intersection in Cape Girardeau County. The traffic volume is about 10,000 to 11,000 vehicles a day in Marble Hill.

But in many places along the rural road there is little traffic, she said. Fewer than 600 vehicles a day travel some stretches of the highway between Piedmont and Marble Hill.

Vaught said there is a high accident rate on some stretches of the highway. Hills, curves and poor sight distances are a major cause of accidents on the highway, she said.

Traffic congestion is a problem in some locations, she said.

Vaught said Highway 34 could be widened to four lanes from Piedmont to Patterson in Wayne County and along a stretch of the highway west of the Highway 72 intersection in Cape Girardeau County.

MoDOT and the consulting firm, Environmental Science and Engineering, are still studying various options. Vaught said it will take more than a year to complete the improvement plan.

Even then, funding remains uncertain. The project isn't on MoDOT's five-year plan for road improvements in the state.

Marble Hill would benefit from an improved Highway 34, said Bollinger County Commissioner Rod Jetton. Jetton, who sells real estate, said construction of a bypass would spark economic expansion in Bollinger County's largest town.

"A lot of store owners are very apprehensive about a bypass. I think overall it would be most beneficial to the community," he said.

The key, he said, is for the state to build a bypass that is within easy access of Marble Hill stores and the community.

Jetton voiced concern over MoDOT's decision against building a new road to connect to Interstate 55.

"I have a hard time believing that a route over to 55 would not relieve some of the traffic congestion," he said. That also could be important in attracting new industry to Bollinger County, he said.

Jetton remembers when Jackson was served by narrow, two-lane roads. The widening of U.S. 61 helped spark development in Jackson, he said.

Improving Highway 34 could do the same for Marble Hill, said Jetton.

Meetings schedule

Upcoming public meetings on Highway 34 improvements:

* April 11, 5:39-8 p.m., Jackson High School cafeteria.

* April 17, Woodland High School multipurpose room, 4:30-8 p.m.