STATE AWARDS CONTRACT FOR WESTBOUND ROUTE 60 WORK

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has awarded a contract for improvements to westbound U.S. 60 in Stoddard and New Madrid counties.

The 13-mile section runs from near Dexter to near Morehouse.

The commission on Friday awarded the contract to Girardeau Contractors Inc. of Cape Girardeau.

The $3.1 million contract calls for pavement repair, addition of asphalt shoulders, a new box culvert to replace the existing bridge at the intersection of Highway 153 and new pavement near the box culvert and at the railroad crossing at Morehouse.

"With the new four-lane between Sikeston and Poplar Bluff open for roughly a year, it is now time for us to come back and repair the westbound section that handled all of the traffic before the four laning was complete," said Missouri Department of Transportation resident engineer Harvey Graham.

Work on the project is slated to begin in the spring and be completed by fall.

During construction, traffic will be redirected onto eastbound U.S. 60 through two bypasses.