MACON, MISSOURI -- It's a project more than 60 years in the making, MoDOT held a celebration to commemorate the U.S. 36 milestone. The 152 mile stretch of US 36 between Hannibal and Macon, Missouri is just about complete. That will conclude the Chicago to Kansas City Expressway. MoDOT's ribbon cutting ceremony began at 9 a.m. in Macon, where dignitaries from all over the tri-state area attended.
"The economic development of this is huge," said Tom Oakley. "We are going to have three major national corridors crossing through our immediate region."
MoDOT promises U.S. 63 to be safer, while bringing in more traffic and business the area.
"In Missouri, interstate 70 is very overcrowded and now with U.S. 36 across Northeast Missouri, it will provide a great alternative for people traveling across country," said Oakley.
The total budget for the project: $100 million, a price the federal government couldn't meet on its own. Half the amount was created by a half cent tax increase, four counties agreed to pay for fifteen years, adding up to $50 million.
"These four counties bit the bullet and stepped up to the plate," said Tom Bolland.
"There's no person in these counties hat doesn't get to take credit for finishing this," said Oakley.
Safety was a big issue at Saturday's ceremony. As Bolland spoke to the crowd, he added how adding lanes to highways saves lives. "The more lanes, the more lives saved."
Oakley says if the tax never been approved, the highway would have never seen today's generations.
Many of those in attendance also participated in a rolling caravan Saturday afternoon, traveling from Macon to Hannibal as an end to the ceremony. Due to frequent rains in the last months, the final ten-mile section between Clarence and Shelbina will open to traffic later this month.
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