Nodaway County U.S. Route 71 intersection improvement project to begin Aug. 10

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – A Nodaway County U.S. Route 71 intersection improvement project, which will replace the existing 340th intersection with J-turns, is scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 10. Contractors from Leavenworth Excavating & Equipment Company, Inc., working with the Missouri Department of Transportation, are scheduled to begin the first stage of construction next week with construction of the southern J-turn.

MoDOT is administering this project in partnership with Evergy, Inc. to improve the intersection of U.S. Route 71 and 340th Street to accommodate an increase of approximately 400 vehicles per day during the construction of their new natural gas plant. 

With a J-turn, motorists will no longer cross multiple lanes of fast-moving traffic. Drivers at a J-turn intersection turn right in the same direction of traffic, merge into the passing lane, and then make a U-turn in the direction they intend to travel. 

Traffic Impacts: U.S. Route 71 north and southbound will be narrowed to one lane in the driving lane. Access to 340th Street will be open during this phase of construction. An 11-foot width restriction will be in place.

The project is expected to be completed by early November 2026.

For more project information, visit: https://www.modot.org/projects/us-route-71-j-turn-installation-nodaway-county.

All work is weather-permitting, and schedules are subject to change. MoDOT asks drivers to work with us by always buckling up, keeping your phones down, slowing down and moving over in work zones. Know before you go and check what work zones you might encounter at traveler.modot.org.

Get project and work zone news straight to your email by signing up for eUpdates. Information is also available 24/7 by calling 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or visiting www.modot.org/northwest.

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