U.S. Highway 71 is undergoing resurfacing work on a portion of the highway from Maryville to Savannah. This process began on April 2nd.
Herzog Contracting Corp. of St. Joseph is working with the Missouri Department of Transportation on the project, which will affect both northbound and southbound lanes. The total contract value is $15,942,976.24, which also includes additional projects in Andrew County.
Krista Strong is a resident engineer in MoDOT's Maryville Project Office working on this project. She said crews are working on a section north from Pumpkin Center to Maryville, which is expected to take about a month to complete. Currently, workers are cutting 2 inches. So she cuts out 2 inches of paving, and then she comes back and installs two 2-inch lifts, making a total of 4 inches of new paving.
The contractor has other obligations, so after completing the first section, he plans to come back after the 4th of July to complete the other sections.
“We have two more sections northbound and two more southbound,” Strong said.
Mr Strong said the project was a long process and involved many departments in getting it started. Such projects begin by identifying the project, researching various needs, and considering public comments regarding road and highway conditions.
The next step is to engage a paving professional to look at the various projects submitted and see what needs to be done.
Local planning partners, such as Maryville's Northwest Regional Council, will work with other entities to begin work on the project, which can then be incorporated into a statewide transportation improvement plan.
“Once it's completed, we'll turn it over to (Jefferson) City,” Strong said. “Contractors can review and bid on projects that interest them.”
Projects may stay in Jefferson City for several years and move around before the design department begins work on planning the project. After that, it's just a matter of monitoring everything to make sure everything goes smoothly as planned and within budget.
Strong said the importance of making these improvements to the highway is to make it easier for the public to travel.
“Once we repave it, we expect it to last eight to 10 years, and it was just about time to do some additional work,” Strong said.
Projects like this extend the life of highways and make driving conditions more ideal for the public. US Highway 71 was one of the highways that the state deemed important to improve condition.
The entire project is expected to be finished in mid-October, but the deadline is tentative at this point. Work will occur during daylight hours, Monday through Saturday. The contractor plans on working a two-mile section at a time.
“The public should pay attention to the signs and be patient. For example, even if you finish driving in one lane, sometimes you will slow down,” Strong said.
The road is being repaired and will be limited to one lane during move-out days, but Rose Viau, assistant vice president for student affairs (Housing and Auxiliary Services), said the construction will impact Northwest's move-out dates. He said no.
“The eviction is so gradual that I don't think it will be a problem for anyone,” Viault said in an email to The Missoulian.
