SUMMIT FOCUSES ON HIGHWAY 60 UPGRADE

VAN BUREN -- Area economic developers hope to send Gov. Mel Carnahan a strong message during a summit July 1 regarding construction projects along U.S. Highway 60.

"We want to re-emphasize to the department, and to the T.T.C. (Total Transportation Commission), and ultimately to the governor that Highway 60 remains the most important highway project in southern Missouri," said Bill Green, Sikeston's economic development director. Green is a member of a core committee sponsoring the summit.

"The purpose of this meeting is to send a message loud and clear that U.S. 60 has, is and will continue to be a priority for businesses and communities in southern Missouri."

The summit hearing is scheduled July 1 at 7 p.m. in the Van Buren High School cafeteria. U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will be the keynote speaker. The committee wants the highway department and governor to recognize the importance of completing a four-lane limited access system along Highway 60 as promised in a 15-year plan currently being followed.

Janet Coleman, economic development coordinator for the Dexter Chamber of Commerce, said the committee thought the summit was necessary because the T.T.C. is scheduled to give Carnahan a prioritization report in the near future that will determine the order in which highway projects receive funding. The major concern, she said, is that the project might get pushed further down the list than was anticipated.

"We all know there are budget constraints, but now we all feel it's time to be a little more active and get our voices heard," she said. "What it's going to come down to is what is prioritized. We want to make them see that this is an important project."

Green and Coleman said the need for a four-lane highway system in southern Missouri is critical for economic development and tourism in the area. The current system is dangerous in some areas, they said, and would not be able to accommodate any major increases in traffic that would come from new industries or tourism.

"From a long-range planning perspective, I think everyone agrees that having a four-lane limited access highway is a very important aspect of long-term economic development and tourism planning," Green said. "Not only is it important to cities directly on the highway, but also for other communities located within 25 to 30 miles of the highway."

Green said Charleston was a good example for why the project should be prioritized. The city is one of four finalists being considered as a site for a maximum-security prison, he said, and traffic will increase on Highway 60 if the town is chosen. Completing the four-lane project would help Charleston's economy and also other cities in the area.

Barry Horst, project development engineer for the Missouri Highway Department, said the Highway 60 four-lane project was probably not in jeopardy of being deprioritized, but he still supports the committee's efforts.

"We welcome any kind of input like that," Horst said. "We want people to know what we're doing and we want to know how they feel about it."

Horst said he is confident the project won't be deprioritized because he has been in contact with several regional planning commissions that have expressed excitement about it. "They all recognized the need for the system and have expressed that they feel it's very important," he said.

One of the most critical sections of the Highway 60 project is the 100-mile area west of Poplar Bluff to Willow Springs, said Horst. This is divided into two projects, he said: one that runs from Poplar Bluff to Van Buren, and another that runs from Van Buren to Willow Springs.

The department is within six months of completing the final stages of environmental impact studies for both of the critical sections, he said, which will be followed by public hearings and studies by other agencies. After concerns from the public and private agencies are heard, engineers can begin redrafting environmental impact reports.

After all concerns are met and overcome, he said, they will begin drawing actual designs, conducting right-of-way mitigation and finally beginning construction.

"That's really some of the poorest parts of Route 60, so they're going to get on that pretty quickly," he said. "But it's a long and complicated process."