The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has finalized plans to widen a 20-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 412 in Dunklin County, from the Arkansas border to Kennett. However, construction on the large-scale project is not expected to begin for at least three years.
The proposed upgrades would convert the existing two-lane roadway into a four-lane highway with a variable-width median and designated turn lanes at intersections. MoDOT officials say the redesign aims to improve safety and reduce congestion along the corridor by eliminating the need for vehicles to use oncoming lanes to pass.
“For 412, the project, typically what we’re looking at is improving the efficiency and safety along that corridor,” Timothy Pickett, MoDOT’s district design engineer, said. “What is being proposed is a four-lane facility with a variable-width median, and it will have turn lanes at the intersections of the crossroad.”
The updated layout, which includes dedicated left-turn spaces within the median, is expected to alleviate issues caused by the current two-lane configuration. Drivers making left turns often block traffic, and slow-moving agricultural vehicles force others to cross into opposing lanes to pass.
“Because it’s a two-lane facility right now, of course, anyone wanting to make a left turn stops traffic. And so that can be a problem,” Pickett explained. “And then for those folks wanting to find gaps in passing, you know, you’re having to get over in the opposing lane.”
The four-lane highway would separate agricultural and other slower-moving vehicles into the outer lanes, allowing faster traffic to pass more safely in the additional inside lane without entering oncoming traffic.
“So by adding that extra lane, that’s going to allow that slower-moving agricultural traffic to remain to the outside. And the regular traffic can still pass through and pass…the tractors and the farm equipment safely,” Pickett said.
Work on the project will continue to focus on design for now, with the initial phase tackling the first four miles of the corridor between the Arkansas state line and Cardwell, Missouri. Per MoDOT’s schedule, the earliest the project could go out for bid is three years from now. If that timeline holds, construction would take two additional years, placing the earliest possible completion date about five years from now.
Pickett described the schedule as “aggressive” but achievable.
Highway 412 serves as a critical route for vehicles traveling through Missouri and Arkansas, making its modernization a priority for MoDOT despite the extended timeline. Once completed, the improvements are expected to enhance traffic flow and safety for local and through travelers alike.