J-turns are a safer, more affordable option for highway crossings

scottw@standard-democrat.com

SIKESTON -- Are you willing to go the extra mile to arrive safely?

A public hearing will be held later this fall by the Missouri Department of Transportation's Southeast District to gather comment on two J-turn projects listed in MoDOT's Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan.

"Both of them are going to be on Highway 60," said Dave Wyman, area engineer. "They are both in New Madrid County."

The first will replace the highway's intersection with Highway FF, located between Sikeston and Morehouse. The second will put J-turns in to replace the Highway 60 intersection with Highway E south of Morehouse.

Both of those locations are a source of safety concerns for area motorists, Wyman said.

"It something that we hear a lot about," he said. "The ultimate solution would be to build an interchange."

Interchanges cost "several million dollars" to build, however, and "take up a lot of room," Wyman said.

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