Nearly $30 million of federal money is coming to Missouri to expand a 14- mile stretch of Highway 54 — a project local leaders have been requesting for decades.
The roadway that runs from southwestern Missouri all the way up to the northeastern state border narrows to two lanes near the city of Mexico.
A group of local government and community leaders, known as the “A Better Highway 54 Coalition,” have long advocated for expanding the two-lane portions of the highway and received federal funding to do so for a section that travels through Farber, Vandalia, and Curryville.
“We've been working for decades on an improvement for safety and efficiency for this transportation corridor, and this is finally a result of some of that work,” said Audrain County Commissioner Alan Winders.
The federal dollars will upgrade the roadway from the roundabout located between Highway 54 and MO 19 and to the city of Curryville. The 14-mile portion of highway will be expanded to what’s called a “shared four” — meaning alternating passing lanes will be added to the current two-lane highway.
The Highway 54 Coalition applied for and received a federal BUILD grant worth $24 million earlier this year. Another $4.9 million has been secured for the project since.
Winders said the “shared four” design is better suited to the communities along the route than a full four-lane expansion.
“It just doesn't require as much taking of land and farmland, which of course is something that we're very, very sensitive to as a coalition and in this part of Missouri,” he said.
The Missouri Department of Transportation will handle implementing the road expansion.
Emily Edgar is an engineer for MoDOT’s Northeast District. She says adding passing lanes to the two-lane highway will save drivers time and improve safety.
“The shared four lane concept carries nearly the same volume as traffic as traditional four lane divided highways, but the cost is about 60% less,” Edgar said. “It requires fewer materials, has a smaller footprint, and also can be constructed more quickly.
Construction is expected to begin in 2030. There is currently no funding to expand the other two-lane sections of Highway 54, but Edgar said the project remains on MoDOT “high-priority unfunded needs” list.
