May
17, 2005 - Coming improvements to Route 61
An
estimated $35 million will be spent in northeast Missouri
over the next few years to help improve the condition of Route
61. "By adding lanes, resurfacing and constructing
two interchanges, we think motorists will notice a significant
difference," said MoDOT's Northeast District Engineer Kirk
Juranas.
One of the highest profile improvements will be the completion
of Missouri's portion of the Avenue of the Saints which runs
from St. Louis to St. Paul, MN. The last fifteen-miles of
four-lane expressway between Canton and Wayland was accelerated
with Amendment 3 money and is expected to be completed by
the end of 2008.
On
the south end of the Avenue, a diamond interchange at Moscow
Mills will improve safety by eliminating four median crossovers.
"In
addition to major construction projects, we're going to make
Route 61 smoother," Juranas said. More than 40 miles
of Route 61 from the Iowa state line to south of Wentzville
will be resurfaced within the next two summers. Another
50 miles is scheduled for 2007 to 2009. Maintenance
crews have been preparing for the resurfacing by filling holes,
sealing, replacing concrete sections and doing some shoulder
work.
"This
work means there will be a lot of work zones on Route 61 throughout
the summer and in the coming years," Juranas said.
"We want our workers to be safe, but we also want drivers
to be safe," he said. Most crashes in a work zone result
from not paying attention or speeding. He reminds drivers
that a fine for speeding or passing in a work zone is double,
plus there is potential for an additional $250 fine.
"We just want everyone to be careful, pay attention and slow
down for our safety and their own," he concluded.
