Weather permitting, beginning Tuesday, October 7, MoDOT and its contractor, Missouri Petroleum of St. Louis, will begin work on hot oil pavement undersealing. This process will be used on 19 miles of southbound US Route 61 in Pike and Lincoln Counties, extending from about 1 mile north of Pike County Route N near Bowling Green to Lincoln County Route E south of Eolia, near Auburn.  The work should take about three weeks to complete.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane for two to three miles with crews and equipment working close to traffic; please put down your handheld devices, slow down, and use extra caution while traveling through the area.

Asphalt undersealing is a process of pumping hot (400 to 450 degree Fahrenheit) asphalt beneath the concrete pavement slab where voids have been identified; the asphaltic material fills those voids, forcing out water which under traffic would carry away additional material, destabilizing the pavement slabs.  The oil quickly cools and solidifies, providing a stable subgrade and preventing water from returning. "We used this process about twenty-five years ago on Route 61 from New London to Bowling Green and it has performed very well," said MoDOT Resident Engineer Rick Domzalski. "It's proven itself to be a long-lasting treatment, permanently stabilizing slabs which move under traffic due to the presence of voids under the pavement," Domzalski explained.

All roadwork is posted on the traveler information map. Those traveling and the commuting public are encouraged to check the online map at http://www.modot.org/ daily for new work zones. MoDOT also offers e-update messages sent directly to your email when roadwork is scheduled. Sign up online or call MoDOT's customer service center at 1-888-275-6636.