WAPPAPELLO LAKE, Mo. -- A permanent road to replace a damaged section of Route T at Wappapello Dam should be in place by the end of the year, according to officials. The $1.7 million project is expected to be the single most costly repair for the Missouri Department of Transportation following spring 2011 flooding in Southeast Missouri.

About a dozen people showed up Monday night at a public meeting at the Bill Emerson Memorial Visitors Center to voice their opinions about the choice selected, many in opposition.

This alternative is the most cost effective while keeping the public safe in the event of a flood, said project mangers of MoDOT, which is responsible for the highway, and engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the property.

Residents of the area argue the proposed low-water channel crossing could leave people trapped again on the north side of the dam in the event of high water and the wide, 30 mph curve will cause congestion during the big events businesses rely upon.

The new road will be constructed along a similar path of the Blue Hole Bypass road in operation now. It will not have stop signs and will be 8 feet higher than the current road, changing the grade from 10.5 percent to 4.5-6 percent.

Bids are scheduled to open in May, be awarded in June and work to begin in July.

"We told them back in September we wanted a bridge, and that was the prevailing opinion," said Anita Lichtenegger, who has lived on the north side of the dam since 1976.

Route T is a main access point for the community north of the dam and when it was closed in April, there was a 36- to 48-hour period when residents were trapped, she said. Surrounding roads north to Greenville and Advance, Mo., as well as other routes south, were underwater, Lichtenegger said, adding she has concerns about such a large retirement community being cut off from medical services.

"We didn't feel there was any way we could be fiscally responsible with taxpayers' money and accomplish a project of that nature for the frequency that water goes over the emergency spillway," said MoDOT Southeast District area engineer David Wyman. "This is the alternative we thought best fits the needs of the corps and the department and still accomplishes the goal of making a connection across the spillway."

A $2.1 million bridge project discussed earlier would have spanned the shortest area of Route T that was broken away when a record crest of more than 400 feet topped the emergency spillway in April. Water last flowed across the emergency spillway in 1945, although it would have in 2002 if a sandbag wall had not been placed on top of the spillway structure wall.

The piers would have been placed in the spillway channel, an area which needs to be free of constriction, Wyman said.

If debris were to catch under the bridge, it would cause new scour areas along the outside of the bridge, according to John Osterhage, corps civil engineer. If the bridge were to collapse, it could prevent water from flowing freely through the emergency spillway channel, he said, adding it is unlikely such a structure could be open during high water because of safety concerns.

"Everyone wants to keep going through Highway T in a flood, but in a flood, it would be closed anyway," Osterhage said.

The 2011 flood was a 50-year event and it is possible higher water could be seen at the lake, which would be more dangerous to a bridge structure and constricted overflow, he explained.

Wyman said it would be much more costly to construct a longer bridge and remove the piers from the spillway. Printed material at the meeting said given MoDOT's funding outlook, it is even more necessary to make highway dollars stretch as far as possible.

Jayne Allison of Puxico, Mo., and others asked if County Road 517, also known as Old Iron Bridge Road, could be raised as part of the project if residents cannot have a bridge. Wyman said the county road would be the responsibility of county officials.

"This solution here, except in extreme cases, is going to (work)," he told her.

MoDOT officials said the spring 2011 event was rare and at least 150 other state routes in Southeast Missouri were also impassable at the time. Residents say high water concerns have cropped up many times over the last two decades.

Jason Crabb, owner of the Fishermen's Net, worries the loss of overflow parking by the spillway structure and the congestion on the new road during busy events will drive visitors away.

"Accessibility will be more restricted than in the past," he said. "When you have a business, you depend on those times of the year when there are special events."

An area in the spillway recreation area, larger than the area lost, will be open for overflow parking, Project Manager Cindy Jackson said. Agencies which apply for special event permits agree to provide certain things and bussing from overflow parking may need to be part of that, she said.

Jackson said she has asked MoDOT to provide off-road walking access.

"The first year may be challenging," she said, asking anyone with concerns as the project moves forward to voice those opinions.

The bypass road will be kept open during construction as much as possible, Wyman said.

MoDOT expects to receive federal emergency relief funds to pay for the project.

Four access roads for the corps, which are located in the spillway area, will be combined to two roads. One will be for the corps office and fish cleaning area, and one for the spillway recreation area and outlet channel area.

Culverts will be placed under the new road so it can handle certain flows, Wyman said.

Jackson said the road should be able to remain open even when the gatehouse is releasing 10,000 cubic feet per second of water, although some water will back up to the road from the outlet structure.

Pertinent address:

Route T, Wappapello Lake, MO