Work progressing on three Scott City road improvement projects

Road improvements in the Scott City area will soon make agricultural transport and residential travel safer and easier while providing room for economic growth.

The improvements include an extension of Nash Road/Route AB to Highway 25, the Ramsey Creek Corridor connecting routes K and AB and a planned interchange on Interstate 55 south of Scott City.

The Nash Road extension, begun in 2001, will connect the existing portion of Nash Road/Route AB with Highway 25. The extension will be behind a levee to protect it from flooding.

Bill Robison, planning manager for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said it will provide a direct link from Highway 25 to the Southeast Missouri Port Authority, allowing for more efficient grain delivery for agricultural business and provide a direct link to the industrial area. Grading by David Kolb Grading Inc. is underway, and bidding for the paving contract is scheduled for fall.

Nash Road will connect with highways 25 and 77 through the new Blomeyer roundabout, scheduled for completion this fall. The design is not common in the area, Robison said, but will provide a free flow of traffic for cars and trucks alike. Rather than stopping on highways 25 or 77, motorists will continue in a steady right turn.

The Ramsey Creek Corridor will give Scott City residents alternate access to I-55 north from Mulberry Street to Route AB. The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a $4.3 million contract to R.L. Persons Construction Inc. of Poplar Bluff, Mo., for the project on Wednesday. Construction should begin in August and is scheduled for completion in fall 2012.

?The proposed interchange on Interstate 55 south of Scott City is still in the environmental planning stage, a process that could take from 18 months to two years, Robison said. The interchange is estimated to cost more than $15 million, though project leaders are still uncertain as to how it will be funded.

Robison said the completed projects will provide more options for interstate access, reduce congestion and improve the overall safety of the road network for the 26,000 cars per day that travel on Interstate 55 near Scott City.

The improvements have been the highest priority for the Bootheel Regional Planning Commission. At a February meeting between MoDOT and statewide planning commissions, the project was ranked ninth of 32 statewide, high-priority projects.

Scott City city manager Ron Eskew also stressed the congestion relief promised by the improvements and added that the new routes offered future development sites for the community.

"It'll be a whole new commercial route for businesses to locate along," Eskew said.

Some businesses, such as William Nobbe & Co. John Deere, have already taken advantage of the new space. The company located the dealership on an outer road in anticipation of increased traffic from the road developments.

Project leaders agree that residents will chiefly notice improved safety and increased ease of access from the improvements.

"The people will see the traffic delays diminished greatly," Eskew said.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., met Tuesday with Scott County, Cape Girardeau County and MoDOT officials for an update on construction progress.

"It is encouraging to hear that progress is being made on some key projects in the Scott City/Cape Girardeau area that will improve safety, enhance access and open new doors to economic opportunities," Bond said. "Over the years, the best ideas and projects I have worked on have one key factor in common: They are locally driven by officials who know the real needs of Missouri communities, not dictated by Washington bureaucrats."

Bond provided $5 million in federal funds through the Highway Bill for the Ramsey Creek Corridor. In 2005 he appropriated $1 million in funding for construction of the Nash Road Extension, with a further $558,000 added in 2008. Though the I-55 interchange south of Scott City is still in the early stages of development, this year Bond procured $1 million to cover costs of the design phase.

"It was a good meeting, and the importance of the highway projects to the overall area is big," Robison said.