Residents around Madison County, take note: the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is planning to discuss potential changes to Route 67 and your feedback is sought. A public meeting is set for August 4, from 4 to 6 p.m., to address the issue of improving safety at the Route 67 intersections with Routes A and C in Cherokee Pass. Interested parties can convene at the Cherokee Pass Fire Department to review and discuss the improvement plans.
The crux of the issue lies in the freeway's current median crossovers, which MoDOT intends to swap out with J-turns. The goal is to simplify safely to merge and turn onto the busy highway. "During the meeting, we will share two alternatives for J-turns at these intersections,” MoDOT Project Manager Chris Crocker told the audience in a meeting about the future of these crossroads. Once in place, these J-turns would eliminate the need to cross fast-moving traffic lanes directly, hopefully resulting in a reduction in severe accidents.
Why J-turns? Crocker cites their effectiveness in lowering the rates of right-angle, or T-bone, crashes. According to MoDOT, these types of accidents often result in fatalities or serious injuries, and data corroborates a "substantial decrease in fatal and serious injury crashes" when J-turns are installed at similar highway junctures, both in Missouri and nationally.
Those interested might want to mark their calendars—construction could begin as early as May 2026, with the movement to let the project tentatively scheduled for March the same year. MoDOT anticipates that the project will wrap up by early 2027. The August public meeting will be an open house format, letting visitors come and go within the two-hour window to engage directly with the project team.
