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New signage will later this spring be appearing along U.S. 36 from Hannibal westward. Added will be designations of Missouri 110, plus additional signs alerting motorists that they are traveling on the Chicago to Kansas City Expressway.
While interest in the new signs dates back to the early 1980s, it wasn’t until January’s meeting of the Missouri Highway Commission that $460,000 was designated for the sign program, according to Tom Boland of Hannibal, who spoke to the Northeast Missouri Economic Development Council about the development earlier this year.
Paula Gough, engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Northeast District, says interest in the additional signs has remained strong through the years.
“This was requested by a number of folks along the corridor in Illinois and Missouri,” she said, citing various economic development groups. “It’s really an opportunity to promote economic growth by making it a uniform corridor that they can promote for regional economic development.”
Boland praised the diligent efforts of Tom Oakley of Quincy, Ill., in seeking the new signs on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. Both Oakley and Boland were in attendance at the highway commission meeting when the plan was approved.
According to Boland, having Hannibal identified as being located on the Chicago to Kansas City Expressway is comparable to being a point on U.S. 61’s Avenue of the Saints.
“It’s a real plus for Hannibal’s identity because of the aspect that it’s at the crossroads of those two highways,” he said.
A number of highway signs will be changed as part of the program, according to Gough.
“Every place there will be a U.S. 36 or I-35 sign between Cameron and Kansas City, and every place there is a U.S. 36 you will also see a Missouri 110 as well as a CKC (Chicago to Kansas City) sign,” she said, estimating there are already 80 CKC signs sprinkled along U.S. 36 in Missouri. “It’s basically taking that signage to the next level.”
The process of adding the new signs has already begun in some parts of Missouri.
“They’ve already started installing some in the Kansas City area,” said Gough. “Folks in this area should start to see that later this spring. We’ll start in the Hannibal area and then work our way westward.”
New signage will later this spring be appearing along U.S. 36 from Hannibal westward. Added will be designations of Missouri 110, plus additional signs alerting motorists that they are traveling on the Chicago to Kansas City Expressway.
While interest in the new signs dates back to the early 1980s, it wasn’t until January’s meeting of the Missouri Highway Commission that $460,000 was designated for the sign program, according to Tom Boland of Hannibal, who spoke to the Northeast Missouri Economic Development Council about the development earlier this year.
Paula Gough, engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Northeast District, says interest in the additional signs has remained strong through the years.
“This was requested by a number of folks along the corridor in Illinois and Missouri,” she said, citing various economic development groups. “It’s really an opportunity to promote economic growth by making it a uniform corridor that they can promote for regional economic development.”
Boland praised the diligent efforts of Tom Oakley of Quincy, Ill., in seeking the new signs on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. Both Oakley and Boland were in attendance at the highway commission meeting when the plan was approved.
According to Boland, having Hannibal identified as being located on the Chicago to Kansas City Expressway is comparable to being a point on U.S. 61’s Avenue of the Saints.
“It’s a real plus for Hannibal’s identity because of the aspect that it’s at the crossroads of those two highways,” he said.
A number of highway signs will be changed as part of the program, according to Gough.
“Every place there will be a U.S. 36 or I-35 sign between Cameron and Kansas City, and every place there is a U.S. 36 you will also see a Missouri 110 as well as a CKC (Chicago to Kansas City) sign,” she said, estimating there are already 80 CKC signs sprinkled along U.S. 36 in Missouri. “It’s basically taking that signage to the next level.”
The process of adding the new signs has already begun in some parts of Missouri.
“They’ve already started installing some in the Kansas City area,” said Gough. “Folks in this area should start to see that later this spring. We’ll start in the Hannibal area and then work our way westward.”
