JEFFERSON CITY - MoDOT would like you to provide information about the recommended alternative for the future Whitton Expressway improvements. Check out the online public hearing currently available at MoDOT's Central District Web site, www.modot.org/central.

By hosting the online hearing, MoDOT hopes to gather public input regarding an environmental study called the Rex Whitton Environmental Impact Statement that MoDOT has developed in conjunction with the City of Jefferson and Cole County.

The study area includes the U.S. Route 50/63 corridor from just east of the tri-level interchange, east through Jefferson City to Eastland Drive, and extends to McCarty Street on the north and approximately Dunklin Street on the south.

The study's purpose is to determine how to relieve traffic congestion and improve safety on the Expressway. It also evaluates ways to improve connectivity between the highway and local sites, including Lincoln University, Jefferson City High School and the Missouri State Penitentiary redevelopment site.

Information available at the online hearing site includes an overview of the study process, preferred alternative maps, historic preservation efforts, and the entire Draft Environmental Impact Statement document. Comments can be submitted online, by e-mail to comments@modot.mo.gov, or by calling 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636). Comments can be submitted to MoDOT through Monday, Feb. 22, 2010.

For more information about the study or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636) or log onto www.modot.org/central. You can also follow MoDOT's Central District on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MoDOT_Central.