Since the Mexico bypass was completed in 1993, expansion work on the Highway 54 corridor through northeast Missouri has been at a standstill. But that may soon change.
Funds for scoping and …
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Since the Mexico bypass was completed in 1993, expansion work on the Highway 54 corridor through northeast Missouri has been at a standstill. But that may soon change.
Funds for scoping and environmental impact studies along the Highway 54 corridor that would possibly add shared four lane sections between Mexico and the Champ Clark Bridge in Louisiana are included in the Missouri Department of Transportation’s fiscal year budget.
Although Audrain County presiding commissioner Steve Hobbs admits that completion of such a project is years away, the initial step is critical.
“Scoping is 10 percent of the budget and sets the route in stone,” he explained.
A MoDOT study of the proposed project undertaken some 15 years ago estimated the total cost of a shared four lane improvement at $81 million. Hobbs says that figure is now closer to $100 million.
Still, the estimated expense is half that of a traditional four lane and minimizes destruction of farm land because it remains on the existing footprint.
Shared four-lane highways have passing lanes in alternating directions every few miles. MoDOT completed a stretch of shared lanes on Highway 5 between Camdenton and Lebanon in 2010.
Scoping involves assessments of surface conditions, traffic studies, vehicle speed surveys, boundary reports and other details.
An environmental impact statement for the project was filed in 2002. Elected officials and other interested parties began meeting to push for the plan in 2006. In the meantime, improvements on the highway such as the Scott’s Corner traffic circle and the Champ Clark Bridge, have been completed.
Hobbs explains that a quicker route to Highway 72 in Illinois — a direct link to Chicago — is important to extend market opportunities.
“With the amount of ag traffic on 54, alternating passing lanes would be huge,” he pointed out.
In 2018, Audrain and Pike counties applied for a BUILD Discretionary Grant to fund the project in three phases, the first of which would cover the stretch from Bowling Green to Basinger Corner. The link from Mexico to Basinger Corner was part of phase two.
In the grant proposal, the authors estimated a three year construction period. Vandalia, POET Biofuels and other parties partnered on the application.
Last week, MoDOT’s fiscal year budget of $3.2 billion was approved by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. It represented a $77.4 million increase over the previous fiscal year.
