Construction is nearly complete on the new diamond interchange located at the intersection of U.S. Route 61 and Missouri Route 47 project.

Work officially begins June 30 on the fourth and final phase, according to Missouri Department of Transportation Area Engineer Jeff Niemeyer.

“The final phase will be installing the traffic signal, raised islands, center barrier wall, and permanent pavement marking to get the bridge in the final configuration. KCI (contractor) will also be finishing the Frenchman Bluff extension to connect to Dugan Lane,” Niemeyer said.

To facilitate traffic movement, motorists will access the bridge and then go through a traffic signal while driving to the left side of the bridge. Traffic will then go through the bridge and then switch back to the right side of Missouri Route 47.

“This helps with traffic flow as you have two through lanes on the bridge in each direction and can make a left turn easier with already being on the left side of Route 47,” Niemeyer said.

The primary challenge of this final phase, Niemeyer says is “getting use to the new interchange configuration.”

For those experiencing the diverging diamond interchange, Niemeyer advises proceeding with care and caution and being patient.

As the county continues to grow, Niemeyer believes the new bridge on Highway 47 “will be a huge asset to the city of Troy and surrounding Lincoln County area.”

He says the new bridge is twice as wide as the old bridge and will be able handle to more traffic. Additionally, when finished, it will be safer too.

“The main way this project will increase safety is it adds capacity to Route 47 to reduce congestion,” he said. “It constructed additional lanes on Route 47 across the bridge and to the east to Cherry Street and (an) additional left turn lane on the US 61 Northbound off ramp. This will keep traffic from backing up on US 61 and allow traffic to flow though on Route 47 better. The project also adds a pedestrian path across the bridge to give people walking a safe way to get across US 61.”

The completion date for the project was set for Nov. 1 but Niemeyer hopes the final date will be around Labor Day. The total cost of the project is $15.4 million.