Some 2003 highway projects proceed, some are delayed

Three highway and bridge construction projects are scheduled in Daviess County for 2003 according to Tony McGaughy, project development engineer for NW District One. MoDOT will resurface, widen lanes and improve shoulders from west of Route V to Route NN on Hwy 6.

Route 69 from Route 6 to I-35 will have an asphalt resurfacing, and an inch or two of asphalt will be placed on I-35 from the Winston exit to the Lake Viking exit.

The project for Hwy 6 is expected to be awarded by the highway commission in April and should proceed sometime in May or June. The other two projects have already been awarded by the highway commission and will start anytime the contractor is ready and the weather cooperates.

A major 2003 highway and bridge construction project which included replacing four bridges over Muddy Creek, Muddy Creek Channel, Brush Creek and Thompson Creek from east of Route 13 north junction to west of Route V near Gallatin, has been tentatively put off until July of 2006, according to Mr. McGaughy, due to a lack of funds.

Two other bridge projects originally scheduled for 2003 have been delayed until 2005. Those projects were to replace the bridge over Hickory Creek east of Route 13 and to replace bridges over Cypress and Little Cypress Creeks and relocate Route B from 1.2 miles east of I-35 to two miles east of I-35.

Unless there is some sort of highway construction going on ahead requiring increased alertness, most motorists drive so automatically they see only a ribbon of asphalt and a blur of yellow stripes whizzing by as they travel the areas highways.

However, a few “road scholars” have been alert enough to spot misprints on a couple of local highway signs.

The sign on Hwy. 6 both entering and leaving Altamont is misspelled Alatmont. That’s a fairly recent blunder. The sign entering Jameson from Route P has been spelled “Coffee” instead of Coffey for a long, long time, according to local residents.

Mr. McGaughy said he would bring up the bloopers to the highway maintenance folks. They’ll get around to fixing the signs when they have the time and funding available.

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