MoDOT plans public meeting about Highway 60

The meeting, which will be held at Harmony Baptist Church, 5105 S. Rt. 125, Rogersville, is hosted by the Missouri Department of Transportation. The goal is to provide information about the status of the project that would turn that stretch of the highway into a freeway, according to a MoDOT news release.

Though no plans for the project have been drawn, MoDOT has a general idea of where necessary interchanges and outer roads would be needed, according to the release.

Adding interchanges and outer roads would better control access, eliminate at-grade intersections with side roads and private driveways, and meet the needs of increasing traffic along the 11-mile corridor between Highway 65 in Springfield and the east side of Rogersville, the release said.

The roadway’s through traffic is increasing. More vehicles are entering and exiting the high-speed roadway, pulling quickly into fast traffic or slowing down considerably to turn off the busy highway.

As more developers become interested in building projects along that corridor, traffic will continue to grow, but the land available for highway upgrades may be reduced.

At this point, the money to buy property and build interchanges and outer roads is not available. MoDOT, Greene County and the cities of Springfield and Rogersville all have looked at ways to improve Highway 60, with additional input from the Ozarks Transportation Organization and Southwest Missouri Council of Governments.

Sharing the cost could speed up the process, and the goal at this point, according to MoDOT, is to make the Highway 60 freeway upgrade a high priority for the region, to secure the money and settle the specifics of the plan.[[In-content Ad]]