The public is invited to an
open-house style meeting on Thursday, March 21 to view the various
alternative locations available for the U.S. 54 Mississippi River Bridge
at Louisiana.  The public meeting will be held at the Twin Pikes YMCA
in Louisiana from 5 – 6:30 p.m.  For those who can't make the meeting,
all displays and the ability to provide input will be available online
after March 19 at www.modot.org.

"We
have several options for the Champ Clark Bridge, and we would really
appreciate the input from area residents," said MoDOT Transportation
Project Manager Keith Killen.

"We
looked at several options and have eliminated some simply because of
logistics," Killen said.  There will be eight options available for the
public to comment on at the meeting and online.

While
there is no funding for any changes to the bridge at this time, part of
the planning process includes completing an environmental assessment. 
Killen said providing the various options to the public is part of this
process.  Because this process can take up to three years, MoDOT has
created the http://www.champclarkbridge./com website for people to follow along and answer questions throughout the process.

All
information about the environmental assessment document is available on
the website under U.S. 54 Mississippi River Bridge.  For more
information about the project, individuals are encouraged to contact
Killen at  660-385-8638 .