Highway 61 To Be Raised
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By Mike Scott
Is this the end of US Highway 61 being closed due to flooding?
For years, Clark County motorists have dealt with occasional flooding of the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers, closing US 61 near Alexandria-sometime for weeks at a time.
US Highway 61 between Alexandria and the Iowa State line will see a major upgrade later this year. On February 14, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a $5.4 million contract to raise a 1.3 mile stretch of the highway by two and a half feet. WL Miller was selected as the contractor.
The Media reached out to the Missouri Department of Transportation to see how the road construction would be done, and how it would impact Clark County drivers. The answers below are provided by MoDOT Area Engineer Christopher Peterson.
Do you have an expected starting date of the project?
The contract has a notice to proceed of 2/22/24. The contractor will need to complete tree clearing during the month of March, which will result in some short-term traffic impacts (stopping traffic for 10-15 minutes). We have not had a pre-construction meeting with the contractor yet so we don’t know when they plan on starting the road work.
How long is it expected to take?
The contract has a completion date of November 1, 2024. Depending on when the contractor starts, it can get done before then.
What is the process of raising a road by that much?
The first work item will be installation of new culvert pipes under US 61, which will require the closure noted below. The contractor will then use successive lifts of bituminous base to raise the pavement grade (basically stair-step layers of asphalt NB and SB (northbound and southbound lanes) to bring the grade up). During the asphalt work, US 61 will be reduced to one lane with flaggers controlling traffic. At the end of the work day both lanes will be reopened.
Will the road be closed during that time? Will it cut off access to the businesses?
The contractor will be allowed to close US 61 for up to 14 days to replace crossroad culverts. The contract includes damages (monetary penalty) if they have it closed for longer than 14 days and incentives (monetary bonus) if they take less than 14 days.
How will the raised highway transition to the businesses along the highway, such as Ayerco?
The entrances will be reconstructed to accommodate the increased elevation of US 61. All businesses will have access during construction. Most businesses has multiple entrances that will allow staging of entrance reconstruction. The new entrances will be concrete paved approaches.
Are there other things the public should
know about the project?
The new roadway will have the same pavement and shoulder width as the existing highway. This project has been a priority of local leaders since at least 2011. It was prioritized using our planning process, and was funded using backfill money from the Governor’s Focus on Bridges plan.
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