Marion County Highway, Bridge Projects Included in New MoDOT Five-Year Plan

Marion County is set to see more than $167 million in highway, bridge and Mississippi River bridge-related projects move forward under Missouri’s newly approved 2027-2031 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the five-year STIP on July 1.
The plan lists transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. Statewide, the STIP makes available $13 billion in federal and state revenue for all modes of transportation, including $9.3 billion in contractor awards for road and bridge construction.
The STIP is MoDOT’s five-year road map for transportation improvements. It is considered a fiscally constrained plan, meaning projects listed for construction are tied to funding MoDOT expects to have available. MoDOT works with planning partners across the state to identify needs, set priorities and determine which projects can be funded. A draft version of the 2027-2031 STIP was released in May for public review, and MoDOT received 65 comments before the final plan was approved.
For readers, the key distinction is between projects listed in the highway and bridge construction schedule and those still in the scoping and design stage. MoDOT says projects in the construction schedule are funded for right of way acquisition and/or construction during the five-
year period and represent a commitment to implement an improvement, purchase right of way and/or construct. Scoping and design projects are potential future projects and are not yet commitments to build.
Several Marion County projects are listed in the approved highway and bridge construction schedule.
The largest is a $105.005 million payment to the Illinois Department of Transportation for replacement of the Quincy Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River at Quincy. The project involves bridge L0099 on U.S. 24. MoDOT lists the award date as 2030, with construction funding programmed in the 2030-31 fiscal year. The project is contingent upon execution of an agreement.
MoDOT also lists a $4.005 million payment to IDOT for a bridge replacement study on the Quincy Memorial Bridge. The STIP does not list an award date for that item, but $4 million is programmed in the 2026-27 fiscal year. A separate $5.005 million payment to IDOT is listed for rehabilitation of the Quincy Bayview Bridge over the Mississippi River, with an award date of 2028 and construction funding programmed in the 2027-28 fiscal year.
Two Mark Twain Memorial Bridge projects are also included. MoDOT lists a $294,000 bridge washing project on Interstate 72 at Hannibal, with a 2029 award date. The project includes $127,500 in IDOT funds and is contingent upon an agreement. A separate $10.558 million
bridge improvement project on the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge is listed with a 2030 award date, including more than $4 million in IDOT funds.

Away from the Mississippi River bridges, the largest Marion County road project is a $31.760 million U.S. 24 pavement improvement. The work includes eastbound and westbound lanes from 0.3 mile north of Route F and U.S. 24 to three miles east of U.S. 61 near Taylor, as well as work on U.S. 61 about 0.5 mile north of U.S. 24. The project is scheduled for a 2028 award, with construction funding programmed in the 2028-29 fiscal year.
A $7.020 million intersection safety improvement is planned at southbound U.S. 61, westbound U.S. 24 and Route F. MoDOT lists the project with a 2027 award date, with right of way and construction funding programmed in the 2027-28 fiscal year.
Other approved construction-schedule projects include a $1.582 million resurfacing and rumble stripe project on Route 168 from 0.2 mile east of Route JJ to U.S. 61 in Hannibal, with an award date of November 2026; a $684,000 U.S. 24 bridge improvement over the South Fabius River 1.2 miles south of Route 6 near Taylor, with a 2027 award date; and a $734,000 Route W resurfacing project from the U.S. 61 north junction to the U.S. 61 south junction and on the U.S. 61 outer road near Hannibal, with an award date of January 2027.
MoDOT also lists a $554,000 Business 61 resurfacing project from 0.1 mile north of Route BB to 0.1 mile north of U.S. 24 and U.S. 61 in Palmyra, along with two disconnected sections on Route 168. That project is scheduled for award in November 2026. A $471,000 signal and striping safety upgrade project is also listed for various locations, including Hannibal, with an award date of March 2027.
The STIP also includes nine Marion County projects in the scoping and design stage. Those projects are not yet approved for construction, but they are being studied or designed for possible future work.
Those scoping projects include a possible U.S. 24 corridor improvement from north of Route 168 to south of Business 61 in Palmyra, with a future cost range of $25.001 million to $50 million; a U.S. 36 bridge improvement over Bear Creek 1.5 miles west of Shinn Lane near Hannibal, with a future cost range of $2.001 million to $5 million; and U.S. 61 culvert improvements from 0.1 mile south of Route MM to Huckleberry Drive in Hannibal, with a future cost range of $5.001
million to $10 million.
Other scoping projects include a U.S. 61 pavement improvement from 0.3 mile north of U.S. 24 and Route F to 0.4 mile north of Route 168 near Hannibal, with a future cost range of $10.001 million to $15 million; a Business 61 bridge improvement over Route 24 north of Route F in Palmyra, with a future cost range of $301,000 to $1 million; and a U.S. 61 bridge improvement over Route 24 near Taylor, also with a future cost range of $301,000 to $1 million.
The remaining Marion County scoping projects include a Route F bridge improvement over South River near Woodland, with a future cost range of $301,000 to $1 million; a Route Z pavement improvement from Route 168 to Route 36 near Monroe City, with a future cost range
of $1.001 million to $2 million; and a Route DD pavement improvement listed under Marion County from Route 36 to the end of state maintenance near Huntington Lane in Ralls County, with a future cost range of $1,000 to $300,000.

Together, the Marion County scoping projects represent possible future costs ranging from about $43.9 million to $85.3 million. Those projects would still have to move from scoping and design into a future construction schedule before MoDOT would be committed to building them.
The STIP also lists a regional scoping project for the Hannibal Expressway from Route F in Marion County to south of Route M in Ralls County. That project is listed under “various” counties, with a future cost estimate of more than $100 million.