MoDOT, District 8, Springfield -- A public meeting to discuss a design to straighten curves approaching the U.S. 160 bridge over the Sac River is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19, in Ash Grove.
The meeting will be open house-style and will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Ash Grove City Hall.
Engineers from MoDOT will be on hand to talk one on one with visitors and go over displays and data that explain the project.
The project is intended to:
* Straighten the approach to the bridge on the west side, essentially moving that curve further west and making the curve more gradual and easier to drive.
* Reduce the sharpness two curves on the east side of the bridge.
* Widen the roadway by 3-1/2 feet on the inside of all three curves.
A study shows that most of the reported accidents on U.S. 160 in the project area in the past five years have taken place on the curves approaching the bridge.
The bridge itself, built in 1926, is in good physical condition and does not need to be replaced as planned in a previous design. Keeping the existing bridge in place saves about $3 million in construction, land acquisition and utility relocation costs.
The project addressing the curves -- estimated to cost about $1.2 million -- must be approved by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.
If the project is approved, construction will take place no sooner than the summer of 2006 and could be scheduled in 2007.
