MoDOT Lets Peyton Manning Decide When Road Work Starts

Roadwork on Interstate 70 in Jackson County comes down to whether Peyton Manning has a bad day against the Jets tomorrow.

And if Ray Lewis can replicate Oakland's shredding of the Chiefs' offensive line.

The Missouri Department of Transportation are rebuilding the George Brett Bridge this winter, and its start date is contingent on how well the Kansas City Chiefs do in the postseason. The Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

As the fourth seed, the Chiefs have a slim prospect of hosting the AFC Championship. For that to happen, the Jets must win tomorrow at Indianapolis. Were the Chiefs to win, they would then have to defeat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field, and the Jets would have to overcome their division rivals at New England. So long as a chance exists, MoDOT will delay construction of the bridge carrying the Blue Ridge Cutoff.

However, if Manning plays as he normally does at Lucas Oil Field, the bridge comes down Monday morning, even if the Chiefs win. Either way, crews will have until 30 March to complete construction of the new bridge, in time for the Royals home opener at Kauffman Stadium.

The new Blue Ridge Cutoff/George Brett Bridge is part of a widening of I-70 through the area. The project so far has brought a new bridge carrying U.S. Highway 40 over I-435. By 2012, ramps in the area will be reconfigured to better handle traffic and accommodate a third lane for I-70. This includes eliminating the junction with Manchester Avenue and adding ramps from Southbound I-435 to US-40. Sport fans from the north will have to use this new ramp to access the stadia, as traffic from north I-435 will no longer be able to access Blue Ridge Cutoff via I-70 east.

Missouri's County Seats Might As Well Be Musical Chairs

As a buff of Missouri history and geography, I naturally take pride in much of what Missouri has to offer. From the scenery of the rustic Ozarks and verdant Green Hills to our many attractions in cities large and small, we have a wonderful state.

And quirky one when it comes to county seats.

Indeed, our first five counties (Cape Girardeau, New Madrid, St. Charles, St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve) all have cities with the same name. And were it not for St. Louis City splitting from the county in 1876, all five would be in their namesake counties. From there, though, it gets confusing. Of those five cities, only three are the county seat. Cape Girardeau County's seat isn't Cape Girardeau, but Jackson.

And yet Jackson County's five hours away from the city of Jackson.

Travel north and west from Jackson and dissociations begin to crop up. At first they're not prevalent; starting with Perryville in Perry County and then Ste. Genevieve. But arrive in Jefferson County and find out that Jefferson City is two hours west, in Cole County. From there things start to get shuffled.

There is no Cole City, but instead a Cole Camp. That's in the north of Benton County. Next to Cole Camp is Lincoln. But Lincoln County's just north of St. Charles County, and their county seat is Troy. At least there's no Troy County, so it's safe to venture west into Washington County.

Washington, though, is in neighboring Franklin County. And right on the border with Franklin County is Sullivan, a solid three hours southeast of Sullivan County in the heart of the north central Green Hills. Go west from Sullivan and arrive in the town of Linn, the county seat of Osage County. But Linn County is immediately south of Sullivan County. And the only Missouri city with Osage in its name is Osage Beach, nestled against the Lake of the Ozarks in Camden County.

Next to Camden County is Miller County, whose county seat of Tuscumbia doesn't sound a thing like Miller. The city of Miller, it turns out, is further southwest, about 25 miles west of Springfield in the northern part of Lawrence County. In the midst of the confusion along Missouri's Rhineland, a dose of sanity goes unnoticed. The town of Gasconade marks the spot where the Gasconade empties into the Missouri River. It happens in Gasconade County, a few miles upstream from county seat Hermann. Just past St. Charles County, where the city of St. Charles has stood as the county seat for nearly two centuries, is Warren County, where Warrenton serves as county sear. And just west of Warren is Montgomery, where Montgomery City helms its namesake county. Certainly, sanity has returned to the state, right?

Unfortunately, just before Warrenton was the city of Wright City, and Wright County is well to the south, 25 miles east of Springfield. With heads hurting, up ahead lies the Kingdom of Callaway, with no city to its name, nor any Fulton County to require an extra two Tylenol from the truck stop across from Ozarkland. Trickle west into Boone County and then find out that Boonville is opposite Boone County in Cooper County.

Best get the extra two Tylenol now, and have more handy when looking north to Randolph County. Just past the line from Boone County is Clark, the hometown of General Omar Bradley. Quiet, picturesque, and only two hours south of Clark County in the northeasternmost corner of the state. Just outside Randolph County in Monroe is the town of Madison. Sure enough, go back to the southeast to find Madison County, tapering the southern edge of the Lead Belt. Fortunately, the detour north nets Monroe City split between Monroe and Marion counties, and Macon as the county seat of Macon County. Further north leaves Knox City just east of Knox County's seat Edina and Lewistown in Lewis County. And tucked in the northeastern corner of Adair County is the hamlet of Adair.

Then the headache returns when finding north of Monroe City, in the county of Marion, a town called Warren. And finding a town called Marionville just east of Aurora in Lawrence County. Lawrence County also claims another two towns with similar-named counties, with Phelps in the opposite corner of the county, but Phelps County two hours northeast on I-44. And Mount Vernon, the county seat, is 90 minutes south-southeast of Vernon County. It's fitting perhaps that no city in Missouri is named Lawrence, but instead a city in Kansas that happens to be the home of the Jayhawks.

And along I-44 is Waynesville in Pulaski County, with Wayne County back in the southeast. Wayne County's seat Greenburg brings back memories of Springfield, the seat of Greene County, and Dade County's seat of Greenfield. Not to mention Lebanon, the county seat of Laclede County, with Morgan just to the southeast in spite of Morgan County being the next county north.

Laclede happens to be the hometown of General John J. Pershing. In Linn County, between Brookfield and county seat Linneus.

Kansas City can't come quick enough, even if it's the largest city in Missouri. And wholly surrounds a speed-trap village called Randolph in Clay County.

Continuing west on I-70, a welcome reprieve from the confusion. No cross-matching names, and north of Marshall in Saline County: a city called Carrollton, in Carroll County no less. Ray County to the west of that, with a town called Rayville northwest of its county seat Richmond. (Never mind the river town of Camden, not to be confused with Camden County's seat of Camdenton.)

Just before Jackson County is another collection of truck stops in Bates City. Have more Tylenol on hand when finding out that Bates City lies an hour south of Kansas City and that its county seat is Butler. Butler County is back toward the bootheel, with seat at Poplar Bluff. Arrive in Jackson County, and the home county of Harry Truman, and the confusion seems to take a back seat for a moment as the sights of the downtown skyline, sports complex, and strong aroma of barbecue overcome the weary traveller.

Intrigued by the patriotism of finding Independence in Jackson County and Liberty across the river in Clay, it's time to travel north (past Claycomo) to find another crop of dissociations. At the border between Clay and Clinton counties is Holt. But Holt County is in the northwest, and Clinton's the county seat of Henry County, two hours south. Holt's county seat is Oregon, and while Oregon County is back down in the thick of the Ozarks, neighboring Nodaway County looks south find the town of Nodaway in Holt County. DeKalb County harbors the same sentiment toward Buchanan, where west of Faucett sits the town of DeKalb.

All the while to the east of Nodaway County, Worth and Gentry sit as friendly neighbors. Both towns in their respective counties, and their county seats Grant City and Albany lie a further ten miles apart from each of them. On the other side of Harrison County is Mercer County, where just north of Princeton is Mercer. It didn't bleed off on Harrison County, where nary a town named Harrison is to be found.

Instead it's Bethany as the capital seat, and Harrisonville sits in the center of Cass County. Further down the chain it's Cassville in Barry County. And Barry? Just a memory, with the short-lived hamlet now part of Kansas City's vast suburbs along its namesake road in Clay and Platte counties. (At least Platte's doing it right with their seat in Platte City.)

At least a trip down Highway 71 toward Joplin will ease the hurting mind (after passing through Harrisonville but not Harrison County and Butler but not Butler County) when arriving at the setting of the classic Patrick Swayze film "Roadhouse". A sleepy town at the north of Jasper County. Called Jasper. Take it easy for a moment, because after the county seat of Carthage and before Joplin is Carterville.

Carter County's at least three hours east, northwest of Butler County. And that will require crossing through Christian County's seat of Ozark before passing through Ozark County. At least Taney has Taneyville and Reynolds is in Reynolds, next to its county seat in Centerville. Next to Reynolds is Iron County, with county seat at Ironton.

Certainly back in Southeast Missouri this perpetual game of musical chairs doesn't continue, confusing newcomers to the Show-Me State?

Not quite. Just to the south of Cape Girardeau is Scott County. Its county seat? Benton. And Scott City, sure enough, isn't in Scott County, but close.

Just cross into Cape Girardeau County, also the home of Bollinger Mill. Bollinger County will wait a few miles to the west.