Portions Of Highway 61 To Be Resurfaced Starting At Bowling Green On July 24

Drivers will soon enjoy a new, smoother surface on 19 miles of the southbound lanes of Highway 61 between Bowling Green and the Route E intersection in Lincoln County.

Chester Bross Construction of Hannibal was awarded the contract for $3.6 million to resurface the southbound lanes, including shoulders, of U.S. 61 and add in a right turn lane at Route Z. Weather permitting, work is expected to begin Monday, July 24 and be completed by the end of October.

“The majority of the work will be done under one lane of traffic and during the day,” explained MoDOT Area Engineer Erik Maninga. “However, we will have to close the entrance to Route Z off of U.S. 61 up to one week sometime during the project to add in the right turn lane, and there will be short-term closures at all the median crossovers when they are working in the passing lane,” he noted. During these closures, local residents will need to take an alternate route. “There is potential for the southbound ramps at Eolia to temporarily close while the work is being done in that area, but they should be short-term and could be done overnight,” he added.

The speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph throughout the duration of the project, and drivers are asked to put down their cell phones, avoid all other distractions and obey all work zone signs. Message boards alongside the road will alert drivers when the project will begin.

For updates on this project and others along U.S. 61, those interested can subscribe to MoDOT’s e-update and text alert service online at www.modot.org under the Travelers tab. All road work information is also available on the traveler map found on the home page, and customer service representatives are available 24/7/365 to answer questions about work zones throughout Missouri and can be reached at 1-888-275-6636.