MoDOT displays plans for Highway 65-Chestnut project

MoDOT is holding an open-house-style meeting 4–6 p.m. Tuesday at Hickory Hills Middle School, where members of the public can come and go as they please to view plans and talk with project engineers, according to a news release.

The preliminary plans call for:

• Converting the intersection to a diverging-diamond interchange, so that opposing lanes on Chestnut will criss-cross at existing traffic signals, enabling vehicles on Chestnut to make a “free left” turn onto 65;

• Reconfiguring the northbound 65 off-ramp to have two left-turn lanes onto Chestnut, the southbound 65 off-ramp to have two right-turn lanes onto Chestnut, and the southbound 65 on-ramp to have two lanes onto 65; and

• Adding signals and right-turn lanes at the intersection of Chestnut and Ingram Mill Road, the release said.

No timetable for the project is set, but work could begin as early as spring 2009, the release said. The project will be paid for with private funds and contributions from MoDOT, the city of Springfield’s transportation sales tax and Greene County.