The Missouri Department of Transportation is holding two open houses in October to share information on plans for improving Interstate 44.

MoDOT wants opinions from the public and local governments on what should be done to improve traffic flow and conditions.

In Greene County, those open houses are scheduled for Thursday, October 11at the MoDOT office at 3025 E. Kearney St., Springfield.

In Lebanon, the open house is scheduled for Monday, October 15 at the Cowan Civic Center, 500 E. Elm St., Lebanon.

The sessions are open house-style from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the opportunity to talk one-on-one with engineers working on the project.

Exhibits contain information about traffic volumes and other data that has been compiled for 257 miles of I-44 between the Missouri-Oklahoma state line near Joplin and the Franklin-St. Louis county line near Pacific.

The study is looking at the roadway's physical condition, traffic flow, congestion, crash problems, property issues and environmental concerns and their impacts on shipping, business traffic, commuter use and recreational travel.

MoDOT has no money to begin a comprehensive rehabilitation or reconstruction program for I-44. However, the study will enable planners to identify deficiencies and set long-term and short-term priorities.

Then as money becomes available, projects can be developed that make sense locally and fit the strategy for the entire corridor. The goal is for those projects to be the most efficient and effective use of limited funds.