MoDOT holds public information session about Highway 65/265 project

On Tuesday, August 11, Missouri Department of Transportation Southwest District officials and engineers hosted a public information session at Ozarks Technical Community College Table Rock Campus, regarding an upcoming project involving the intersection of U.S. Highway 65 and Missouri Route 265. During the come-and-go meeting, area residents were invited to view maps detailing the proposed project and ask questions. 

Highlights of the proposed project include the following: 

• A new bridge over U.S. 65, north of the existing 65/265 signalized intersection; 

• An acceleration lane for traffic from Missouri Route 265 onto southbound U.S. 65; 

• Removal of the existing signals and center median at the intersection. 

U.S. Hwy. 65 is a major corridor for travel between northern Missouri, Springfield and Little Rock, in addition to Branson tourism traffic and residents from south and southwest of Branson commuting to work. With those considerations, engineers stressed that as much work as possible will be done at nighttime, including short-term closure of U.S. 65 for bridge beam/girder placement.

Flaggers will direct Route 265 traffic during those times. 

Other possible closures include that of Carpenter Drive and Cedar Valley Road in 15-minute increments as roads are connected to the new bridge. Electronic message boards will be used to warn drivers, and drivers are urged to use alternate routes as much as possible. 

Conversation among attendees at the information session included questions as to why safety improvements to the current intersection could not be made simply by adding acceleration lanes both ways and increased monitoring and consequences for running red lights. Other attendees expressed concern about the increased number of turns that will be required to navigate between roadways; for example, for traffic on 265 to enter northbound 65, would require a left turn onto Carpenter in front of trafficking exiting southbound 65, followed by a turn to cross the bridge and another to enter 65. There was also discussion among attendees about how the proposal might be taking into consideration possible future projects such as the extension of the present Ozark Mountain Highroad, requiring more ramps, but no answers to those questions were available at this time. 

Construction on the estimated $6.1 million project is scheduled to begin in early Spring 2027. For more information and updates, call MoDOT’s Springfield office at 417-895-7600 or visit www.modot.org/southwest. 

While at the meeting, some attendees took advantage of the time with officials to inquire about the E. St. Hwy. 76 slide-off repair near Lake Taneycomo in Branson/Hollister, expressing concern about impact on commutes, children’s activities, etc., as school begins. Engineers at the session did not have specific information regarding that project, but the Globe has since received information indicating that the repairs between Lakeshore Drive and Business Route 65 are scheduled to begin in January 2027. The project was originally scheduled to start in August 2026, but it is felt this adjustment will help the contractor reduce traffic disruptions and lessen the impact on the traveling public. A public meeting will be held before construction begins, to share information about the schedule, planned aspects of the roadwork, and anticipated traffic impacts. 

Citizens can sign up via the link provided at the MoDOT website, to receive news updates and text alerts regarding these and other Southwest Missouri projects.