Neighbors of the Lafayette Street interchange give the project mixed reviews so far, with some saying it's creating noise and safety issues, and others saying it creates temporary inconveniences for a long-term benefit.
Overall, Andrew Conner said he thinks the project will be good "if they ever get it done.
"They get here at 6 in the morning and raise hell all day," he said about the noise from the project. The westbound lane on-ramp is practically in the back yard of the apartment he rents at 500 Lafayette St.
He said workers have put materials in the front yard of the house, such as a large hose, so he isn't able to mow the front yard.
Still, he said he's really not bothered by the project. "I'm kind of glad to see an on-ramp here. The city's going to get bigger and bigger. It ain't gonna get no smaller."
The two-year, $20.3-million project includes building a new diamond interchange at 50/63 and Lafayette; adding a lane in each direction on the Whitton Expressway from Monroe Street to Lafayette and from Lafayette to Clark Avenue; and improving six bridges along the corridor.
Clarence Mack Jr. described his home at 612 E. Miller St. as "ground zero" for the noisy project. He and his brother live in the home, and the westbound on-ramp for the interchange is just a few steps from his back door.
He said the state took much of his back yard, using eminent domain, and didn't pay what he considers a fair value for the land.
Mack said he goes through the work zone some 15 times a day to get to Dunklin Street. Otherwise, he said, he and others have to travel several blocks around it to get to Dunklin.
While riding his bike under the overpass at Lafayette Street Friday evening, he ran across a thick pipe-like object that was barely in the street, causing him to crash and injure his arm, which required medical attention.
"They don't have any lights, and it's a construction site," he said. "I see the kids playing on it, and there's a danger factor."
He said the construction site isn't cordoned off, so people, including himself, are taking their chances by going through it rather than around it.
"I'm not going to go five blocks one way and 10 blocks the other way ... and over those gigantic hills. I don't think so," he said.
He said the contractor, Columbia-based Emery Sapp & Sons, and Mayor Carrie Tergin, are more receptive to dealing with project-related problems than other officials he's dealt with. When a silt fence fell down, causing water to run through his yard, he talked to an official with Emery Sapp, who quickly addressed the problem.
Sonja Jackson, 712 E. Miller St., said her biggest complaint is the Missouri Department of Transportation couldn't show her an architectural drawing of what the project would look like when finished.
She said the view from her back yard has changed to a large retaining wall, which she said looks better than her previous view.
"I like the wall back there," she said. "I just wish it were a little more decorative."
She said it would have been nice if the contractor would have been able to finish one part of the project before starting another. The way it's being done, a lot of traffic is being diverted and a lot of people inconvenienced at once, she said.
The project is scheduled to be finished by the end of next year.
In mid- to late September, both westbound lanes will be closed while the current bridge deck over Lafayette Street and Wears Creek is lowered and replaced.
By then, the westbound on-ramp from Lafayette should be completed, and westbound U.S. 50/63 traffic will use the off-ramp and on-ramp at Lafayette as the driving lanes.