At least two speed limit signs on Augusta Bottom Road went missing or were damaged, believed to have been done by vandals, according to the Warren County Commission. Commissioners learned of the missing signs Monday from the county’s road supervisor Gary Ruether. They said one sign was removed, while the other appeared to have been struck by a vehicle in an attempt to knock down the steel post. It’s unknown when the alleged vandals struck. Commissioners said new signs should be in place by the end of the week. “It’s an offense if they get caught taking them down,” Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said some motorists may believe the speed limit can’t be enforced if no sign is posted. The speed limit on Augusta Bottom Road, on the Warren County portion, is 30 mph. Two fatalities just over three weeks apart have renewed debate over the need to repair the road and add safety measures. Ella Neier, a 16-year-old Borgia High School junior, was killed Oct. 22 just west of the St. Charles County line when her car ran off the gravel road and plunged into a lake created by floodwaters. Joseph Volmert, 38, of Washington, died Nov. 13 when his truck ran off the paved road and struck a tree in St. Charles County Motorists use Augusta Bottom Road as a shortcut between Washington and St. Charles County. The portion of the road in Warren County is gravel, while the St. Charles County section is paved with asphalt. Two separate traffic count studies conducted in November found that more than 600 vehicles travel the road daily. Citing the low number of accidents and the road’s high usage, the county commission reopened Augusta Bottom Road five days after being closed temporarily following Volmert’s fatal crash. Neier’s fatal crash was the only fatality to have occurred on the stretch of Augusta Bottom Road located in Warren County in the past 12 years, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol crash statistics. Commissioners have been adamant that the section of roadway where Neier wrecked, though in Warren County, is the Augusta Parkway, meaning that maintenance falls under the jurisdiction of Augusta. The county-maintained section lies on the levee, commissioners said. They also are concerned that paving the entire stretch will lead to more accidents as motorists increase their speed on the levee road. Past and current commissioners also have debated how much county funds to put into a road that has no county residents living on it. Other than being used as a shortcut, the road’s only other use is to provide access to fields for farmers. Washington city officials also have expressed an interest in annexing the road. The city council hired Guardian Title of Warrenton to conduct a property title search to determine who owns Augusta Bottom Road.