Weekly Area Road Work for August 12th, 2026

Daviess County

Route C – Resurfacing project through Aug. 18. The roadway may be CLOSED or narrowed to one lane with flaggers. (Contractor: Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc.)

Route 6 – Milling pavement from Route 13 to Route CC and Route DD junction, Aug. 10-11.

U.S. Route 69 – Milling pavement from Route C to Route T, Aug. 12-14.

Gentry County

Route UU – Resurfacing project through Aug. 20. The roadway may be CLOSED or narrowed to one lane with flaggers. (Contractor: Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc.)

Nodaway County

U.S. Route 71 – Intersection improvement project at 340th Street beginning Aug. 10, through early November 2026. (Contractor: Leavenworth Excavating & Equipment Company, Inc.) https://www.modot.org/projects/us-route-71-j-turn-installation-nodaway-county

U.S. Route 71 – Resurfacing project from the Iowa state line to U.S. Route 136 near Burlington Junction through August 2026. The road will be narrowed to one lane, and a 10-foot width restriction will be in place.

U.S. Route 136 – Resurfacing project from I-29 to U.S. Route 71 through August 2026. The road will be narrowed to one lane, and a 10-foot width restriction will be in place.

Route VV – CLOSED for a deck replacement project at the Platte River Bridge through December 2026. (Contractor: Louis-Company, LLC) https://www.modot.org/projects/route-vv-bridge-replacement-nodaway-county

Route J – Resurfacing project through Aug. 24. The roadway may be CLOSED or narrowed to one lane with flaggers. (Contractor: Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc.)

Route KK – Culvert repair from 180th Street to 170th Street, Aug. 11. The roadway will be narrowed to one lane 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route KK – Culvert repair from U.S. Route 136 to 180th Street, Aug. 12. The roadway will be narrowed to one lane 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route KK – Culvert repair from 180th Street to 170th Street, Aug. 11. The roadway will be narrowed to one lane 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route H – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 375th Street to 400th Street, Aug. 12, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

I-35 to be Resurfaced in Harrison County

 Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc., working with the Missouri Department of Transportation, is scheduled to begin a resurfacing project on Harrison County Interstate 35 from the Iowa State line to just south of Eagleville beginning Monday, Aug. 17.

Traffic Impacts: I-35 will be narrowed to one lane with an 11-foot width restriction. Motorists can expect delays.

The resurfacing is scheduled to be completed in early October 2026.

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.

At Least Three Measures on Missouri Ballot for November

At least three measures will be on the Missouri Ballot for November 2026, with the possibility of two more making the ballot according to Ballotpedia, a site which covers elections in all 50 states.

Amendment 3 would reinstate the abortion ban that Missouri voters repealed in a previous election and prohibit gender transition surgeries and treatments until a person turns 18. It would prohibit abortion with the exception of medical emergencies, fetal anomalies such as ectopic pregnancies, or rape and incest. The rape and incest exception only applies for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. 

Amendment 7 would create a sovereign wealth fund that the state would put money into for investment purposes. When the fund generates enough return on investment, the state would eliminate all income and sales taxes and rely on revenues from the sovereign wealth fund. People could donate to the fund. The state would be required to invest it in exchange-traded funds tied to the S&P 500. After the elimination of the income tax and sales tax is triggered, the state could not reenact them unless the fund was unable to meet its obligations. 

Another amendment would require the election of county sheriffs to four-year terms. Worth County already elects its sheriffs to four-year terms. Sheriffs could not be removed from office except if the Missouri Attorney General files an action in court.

These measures were enacted by the legislature. There are two other potential measures which could make the ballot. The first is a measure that would repeal the redistricting done by the Missouri Legislature. It is currently tied up in court. The second is a measure which would prohibit the legislature from changing or amendment a citizen-led initiative unless 80% of voters approve the measure. It would also prohibit the legislature from making changes to the citizen initiative process. 

Editorial -- The People of Missouri Have Spoken

The people of Missouri have spoken. People in every corner of the state overwhelmingly rejected measures that would have given blank checks to politicians. Amendment 4 would have given politicians a blank check to rewrite our state constitution while making it much harder for citizen petitions to get off the ground. Amendment 5 would have given politicians a blank check to jack up sales taxes and tax goods and services that have historically never been taxed in Missouri. 

People have overwhelmingly elected a conservative majority in the state. But we believe in checks and balances. An informed public is essential to reigning in the excesses of any body of government, regardless of who is in charge. The legislature has just as much of a right to participate in the process as anyone else. They can and do put measures on the ballot, and some of them get passed. The current state of affairs is fair and adequate.

Regarding Amendment 5, none of us like to pay taxes. But taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society. People have been hammered with inflation since COVID-19 broke out in this country, and the sticker shock from sales taxes would have made it even worse and discouraged the very economic activity the legislature says it supports.

People want roads, bridges, and schools fully funded, a law enforcement system that puts criminals behind bars and takes crime seriously, and more control over their own lives.

The margin of defeat of Amendments 4 and 5 show that there is a serious gap of trust between the politicians and the public. If they want to earn it back, one thing they could do is restore local control to our counties and cities. 

Local control for CAFO's was fair and adequate. Some places, like Mercer County, welcomed them with open arms in response to the 1980's farm crisis. Other places, like Worth County, are much more skeptical. The same thing applies to data centers. Some places welcome them with open arms. Other places, including people in Nodaway County, are much more skeptical and have concerns about health, water, and quality of life. 

Route T in Allendale on Unfunded Needs List

On Thursday, the Missouri Department of Transportation released a draft list of high-priority unfunded needs list for roads and bridges around the state. The document identifies $4.7 billion in unfunded transportation needs for the system and guides the development of future projects as state and federal transportation dollars become available. 

The document breaks it down into several tiers. Tier one includes $541 million in needs that could be included through the current program as federal and state funding becomes available. Tier two outlines $2 billion of needs that go beyond the current program. Tier three includes $2.1 billion of additional needs beyond the first two tiers. In addition, the DOT has identified $1 billion more in transportation needs beyond this list and $1.1 billion in statewide operations and maintenance needs. The draft document is open for public comment. The DOT has an online comment form available on its website through September 10th.

Tier two includes the following unfunded transportation needs in the area:

Nodaway -- Intersection improvement on Route 136 at Katydid Road east of Maryville. 

Nodaway -- Intersection improvement on Route 71 and South Avenue in Maryville. 

Worth -- Pavement resurfacing on Route T from Allendale to the Iowa State Line.

Tier three includes the following unfunded transportation needs in the area:

Daviess -- Rehabilitate I-35 from Route C to Route 69.

Harrison -- Major Interstate reconstruction on I-35.

Other unfunded needs include the following:

Gentry -- Extend runway at Albany Municipal Airport.

Nodaway -- Add or reconstruct sidewalk from North Laura to South Davis, 1st Street to South Avenue, and Munn to University Drive in Maryville.

Nodaway -- Planning for trail from Maryville to Lake Mozingo.

Nodaway -- Add or reconstruct sidewalk College Avenue to 16th Street, North College Avenue to North Main, and University Drive to North Main in Maryville.

Nodaway -- Extend runway at Northwest Missouri Regional Airport in Maryville. 

Ann Roach 1940-2026

Arlene Ann Roach, age 85, Grant City, Missouri, passed away Thursday,  August 6, 2026, at her home in Grant City with her family by her side.

Ann was born on August 27, 1940 at home in a little community known as ‘Tinkerville” southwest of Redding, Iowa. She was the middle child of Efton James and Bessie Irene (King) Hall.

Ann graduated from Redding Consolidated High as the Valedictorian in the Class of 1958.

She was united in marriage to Jerry Dean Roach on February 20, 1959, at the Assembly of God Church in Redding, Iowa.  To this union four children were born, Brenda Gale, Rocky Jay, Liberty Rene’ and Rodney Lance.   This was a marriage that would last 67 years.

Ann had worked at various jobs, her last was a Missouri Realtor for 20 years.

Ann played guitar with an all-female band called “Wild Wood Flowers.”

Ann enjoyed life’s moments, like sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee watching and listening to the day as it woke up.  She also liked boating, red roses, cooking and country music.  Anybody that visited with Ann found out that she had a deep love for God, country and family.

Preceding her in death were her parents, Efton and Irene, a 17-month-old brother James Franklin Hall, sister Darlene O’Banion, niece Twila O’Banion and her husband Jerry Roach (June 7, 2026).

Left to share her memory are children Brenda (Jim) Kennedy, Stewartsville, Missouri, Rocky (Karen) Roach, Rea, Missouri, Liberty (Ingo) Zaenker, Deep Water, Missouri, Rod (Karla) Roach, St. Joseph, Missouri, a brother Galen Dean (Sharen) Hall, Pueblo, Colorado, sister Vondene Elaine (Carl) Norgaard, Jainsville, Wisconsin, 14 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren.

A natural farewell graveside service was held at 11 AM, Friday, August 7, 2026 at the Fletchall Cemetery, Grant City. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date at the Gentry Christian Church, Gentry, Missouri.

Memorials: Gentry Christian Church and the Fletchall Cemetery.

Local arrangements are under the direction of the Hann Funeral Home, Grant City.

Route 246 Overhaul on DOT Radar

The resurfacing of Route 246 is now on the Missouri Department of Transportation's radar, Matthew Stein of the DOT told the Sheridan City Council Monday, August 4th. The road received a temporary fix two years ago, but it is starting to crumble again, especially near Hopkins. That brought up the topic of overhauling the parking lot in front of the storefront. It was commonly believed at the city for at least 20 years that the DOT owned the parking lot as well as the road itself; however, no deeds to that effect have been found. The DOT is believed to own the tubes running under 246 from 6th Street to the railroad; however, no deeds have been found besides one for 6th Street. 

The council voted to reopen the road at 4th & Crescent that it had closed at July meeting. The city's barricades came down the next day. However, the posts on the portion of the area that Jerry and Valerie Rauch say they own and that had been encroached on by traffic using the road over the years remained up with a rope barrier added. The council tabled further discussion of the issue until all council members could be present.

Barry Lyle reported that city's water tower was inspected. The inspectors said that the tower needs to be drained and cleaned.

The county will haul rock for 6th Street soon.

The city will seek reimbursement for expenses in replacing a tube on the south side of town on 4th Street as well as the roof replacement at the outhouse in the park, among other projects, following President Donald Trump's disaster declaration for Worth and other counties for damage from storms in June. The council authorized Abby Hawk to work on the project. 

The city put in a new water main for a customer, for which it will be reimbursed. 

The tax rate hearing will be held on Monday, August 24th at 6:00 pm.