Scotland County Road, Bridge Projects Included in New MoDOT Five-Year Plan
Scotland County is set to see just over $3 million in highway and bridge projects move toward construction 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 scoping and design projects are potential future projects and are not commitments to build. Only projects listed in the construction program represent a commitment by MoDOT to build the project.
Three Scotland County projects are listed in the approved highway and bridge construction schedule.
The largest is a $2.207 million bridge improvement on U.S. 136 over Gunns Branch, 0.7 mile east of Route MM near Memphis. The project involves bridge K0284. MoDOT lists the award date as 2028, with construction funding programmed in the 2028-29 fiscal year.
Two resurfacing projects are scheduled sooner and are listed to be let together in January 2027. MoDOT lists a $120,000 Business 136 pavement resurfacing project from Monroe Street to Route 136 in Memphis. Construction funding is programmed in the 2026-27 fiscal year.
The second resurfacing project is a $735,000 Route MM project from Route 136 in Memphis to Route M. That project also has a January 2027 award date, with construction funding programmed in the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Together, the three approved construction-schedule projects total about $3.062 million.
The STIP also includes one Scotland County project in the scoping and design stage. That project is a possible Route B bridge improvement over the South Fork North Fabius River, 2.4 miles north of Route 136 near Crawford. The project involves bridge R0501 and carries a future cost range of $301,000 to $1 million.
Because that Route B project is listed in the scoping and design section, it is not yet approved for construction. It would have to move through further planning, prioritization and selection before being added to a future construction schedule.
