MoDOT seeks comments on proposed 177 work

The Missouri Department of Transportation is asking for public input on proposed improvements to Highway 177 north of Cape Girardeau aimed at keeping it open during flood conditions along the Mississippi River and nearby creeks.

The proposed project, scheduled for 2022, would improve two sections of the roadway, which MoDOT says will help mitigate flood issues. The south end of the project will improve the Juden Creek area by raising the pavement and relocating the centerline slightly to the south of its existing location. The north end of the project will raise the roadway in the vicinity of Scism Creek.

In years past, when those creeks and the Mississippi River have flooded, MoDOT crews have temporarily raised Highway 177 with gravel to keep traffic moving.

“Temporarily raising the roadway isn’t the ideal situation for local travelers,” said MoDOT project manager Benji Philpot. “It also takes significant power from up to four MoDOT crews to place the aggregate and then remove it once floodwaters recede.

For more information about the Highway 177 project or to comment on it, visit www.modot.org/route-177-cape-girardeau-county. Comments can also be shared by calling Philpot at (573) 472-5371 or project designer Jeff Wachter at (573) 472-5294. Comments will be accepted through Oct. 19.

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