The Missouri Department of Transportation began a projected 40 day-long project that began at the end of August to update the intersection at the junction of Highway 61 and HH/ZZ Highway. The road work has affected around 700 students from Southeast Missouri State University’s Sikeston Regional Campus and affects several large industrial companies, including Orgil, Unilever and Do It Best Corporation.

A few days before school was supposed to start, a flashing sign appeared stating road work was to commence starting on Aug. 22, the first day of school, but MoDot delayed the project until the end of August. Construction has since begun and has approximately three weeks to go until completion, according to Tammy Hefner, resident engineer with MoDot. According to Steve Borgsmiller, director of the Sikeston Regional Campus, many of the faculty and staff were concerned about the traffic flow due to the road work. Unsure about the project at hand, the school prepared for delays and complaints from frustrated students.

Hefner said the construction improvement will not benefit the students, but will save taxpayer money. The project is to remove the asphalt and to replace it with concrete. The asphalt has wear and tear from the industrial park’s large trucks. Replacing with concrete will make the drive smoother and it will last longer.

Hefner wanted to remind all students to be aware of their surroundings as there are many workers on the road. Starting soon, the outside road work will end and the center road work will begin. Borgsmiller wanted to remind all students to plan accordingly and to try and use alternate routes to avoid the construction. For more information about alternative routes students can visit the front office from 7:30a.m. to 9:30p.m.