Highway 59 Repairs Finished

Missouri Highway 59 reopened to traffic at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Repairs are nearly complete on the segment of highway between Ginger Blue and Shady Beach that had been closed since right after the December flood.

Scott McKee, senior highway designer with the Missouri Department of Transportation, said the contractor will still have a few days of work under one-lane traffic with a flagger working 18 hours a day, but not at night nor on the weekends.

The project was scheduled to be completed July 15. McKee credited the early finish date to the use of pre-cast materials and the contractor working long hours.

"They worked on Saturdays and through the rain. They worked daylight to dark a lot. We hoped the weather would be cooperative. It went a lot better than it could have. We didn't have that bad of weather," McKee said.

Phillips Hardy Inc. of Booneville, Mo., was the contractor for the job, winning the low bid at $2,520,147. Work on the project started April 13.

Before the July 15 deadline was set, the job was originally estimated to take up to eight months to complete. This estimate was made in mid-January.

A variety of groups have been affected by the road closure, from McDonald County R-1 School District buses to Tyson delivery trucks to Noel canoe outfitters trying to get their guests to their floating destinations.