The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) held public meetings last week to release the four-lane shared highway study for Highway 54 between Mexico and Louisiana.

The study is a step towards getting a project started but it’s a step the potential project has reached in past years but hasn’t been able to move forward beyond that point. 

The idea for a new four-lane highway was studied in the 1990s and preliminary planning and environmental work was completed but it never moved forward because of a lack of funds. In 2009 the idea of the four-lane shared highway concept was presented and studied. A four-lane shared highway would have alternating passing lanes every few miles.

Some preliminary estimates that are now a few years old had the total cost of the project at around $90 million. However new estimates have the total costs approaching $125 million. If the project was to ever move forward it would be presented in five different pieces. For instance, an 8.4-mile stretch from Mexico to Scott’s Corner would cost just over $19 million. An 8.2-mile stretch from Scott’s Corner to Basinger’s Corner would cost more than $15.4 million. A 13.7-mile stretch between Basinger’s Corner to Jenning’s Corner would cost more than $17.8 million. The stretch of 10.2 miles from Jenning’s Corner to Bowling Green would cost more than $16.7 million and the final phase from Bowling Green to Louisiana of 12.1 miles would cost about $17.7 million. The total project is 58.6 miles.

MoDOT says the four-lane shared highway will reduce crashes of all types by 25 percent. The project is currently not funded and is not part of MoDOT’s five-year project list.

Photo - MoDOT Highway 54