A recent slate of accidents along Interstate 70 in Warren County prompted local and Missouri Department of Transportation officials to hash out a number of safety measures to improve roadway safety Friday morning, specifically the eastbound stretch near the Stracks Church Road overpass.
MoDOT officials said they believed two lanes was still the best approach but said they would expand the lane width from 10 feet to 11 feet to allow more room for vehicles. As speed was a constant issue discussed during the meeting, MoDOT representatives said they would install signage to reduce the speed limit to 55 mph through the area.
Improve I-70 Program Director Eric Kopinski led the discussion, which included local elected officials and first responders in a round table discussion at the Warren County Administration Building Friday morning.
Kopinski said that he was aware of the anger and frustration that Warren County residents and elected officials feel over the recent slate of accidents.
“We are equally exhausted and frustrated,” Kopinski said. “The success level of eastbound (I-70) is not great.”
Kopinski said that accidents though were not merely limited to the stretch near Stracks Church Road, but were along the entire I-70 corridor. He said eight semi trucks had flipped over on the interstate in Missouri in the past week alone. Kopinski added that the I-70 corridor in Missouri sees over 60,000 vehicles per day traverse the interstate.
Improve I-70: East Project Team Director Kim Trainor said that MoDOT had already made some modifications to help with traffic flow under the Stracks Church Road bridge. She said MoDOT has pushed the barrier wall further to the north and have completely restriped what were 10 foot wide lanes to make them 11 foot wide lanes. She said there will now be one foot of space between the striping and the barrier wall throughout the entire corridor. She said plans also include installing rumble strips to assist drivers as they drive through the corridor.
After MoDOT officials gave their presentation, others in attendance were allowed to give feedback. Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop C Commander, Capt. Kevin Malugen said a team from the highway patrol would be coming into the area to help with enforcement. Malugen said the crashes that have occurred in the construction zone involved trucks trying to pass each other and going side by side and bouncing off of each other. He ultimately suggested that one of the things that would help would be to slow down traffic through the area.
Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison said he would rather see traffic limited to one lane through the zone for safety. Harrison said he understood MoDOT’s position on the 11 foot lanes, but he wanted to discuss the actual distance from concrete to concrete and stripe to stripe. He said he knows that some of the construction workers involved in the project do not feel safe. He also voiced concerns about whether the integrity of the bridge has been compromised.
Kopinski said based upon the evaluation of MoDOT’s engineers the Stracks Church Road bridge is still in good condition.
Wright City Fire Chief Ron MacKnight said he felt limiting the corridor to one lane was working and supported Harrison’s position regarding keeping it one lane.
Later in the meeting Wright City Police Chief Tom Canavan said he would also like to see traffic restricted to one lane in the area. He said every time there has been a crash along that stretch of the interstate Wright City becomes a parking lot.
Truesdale Mayor Jerry Cannon also said he felt one lane was better.
Wright City Mayor Michelle Heiliger said that perception is reality and that information needs to be provided to the public about work going on through the corridor. She said one of the things she would have liked to have seen done differently was that the group that met Friday morning should have met prior to the beginning of the project.
As the conversation continued, reduction of the speed limit through the area became a major topic of discussion. Later in the meeting Kopinski said lowering the speed limit was something MoDOT could do to possibly slow down traffic in the area and help prevent crashes.
