Following an accident last week that injured two city employees,Truesdale hosted a meeting Nov. 3 with officials from the Missouri Department of Transportation to try and determine what can be done along I-70 to help reduce accidents.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol traffic crash report, a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia tractor trailer was traveling eastbound on Interstate 70 near mile marker 195.2 around 8:45 a.m. Thursday morning, Oct. 30, when it traveled off the roadway, and then returned to the roadway striking the right side of another tractor trailer. The vehicle then traveled off the roadway, overturned and traveled for some distance before striking a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado owned by the city of Truesdale and occupied by two employees.

Truesdale Mayor Jerry Cannon said he was at the crash scene shortly after it happened. He said there was a city vehicle occupied by two city employees who were out at the Heritage Hills subdivision. He said the semi truck slid on its side across the service road and hit the city vehicle coming out of the subdivision. Cannon said the crash caused significant damage to the city’s truck, but that both occupants were okay following the accident.

During the meeting Monday, Cannon asked MoDOT officials what can be done in the future to prevent these types of issues in the future.

Alderman Mike Thomas said he would like to see guardrails along I-70 where the interstate is higher than the frontage roads.

Police Chief Casey Doyle asked about placing jersey barriers along the shoulder of I-70.

MoDOT Deputy Project Director Chris Kelly said such barriers wouldn’t be possible as it would create 10-foot lanes with no shoulder. Kelly said he didn’t see any real “easy wins” when it comes to designing protective barriers to avoid accidents.

State Rep. Trisha Byrnes (R-Wentzville) asked about the possibility of reducing the construction corridor to one lane. Kelly responded that recently a portion of Interstate 55 was down to one lane over the weekend and a distracted semi-truck driver ran into the back of a line of vehicles and killed four people, injuring three others.

Warren County Commissioner Matt Flake asked about the possibility of putting cable barriers up, but Kelly said cable barriers are designed for medians and gentler slopes. Kelly said they are also expensive and require more maintenance. Kelly said there is the possibility of putting up barriers along the outer roads of the interstate in certain locations.

Kelly said that behaviors of drivers are a major cause of accidents in the area and that MoDOT is attempting to design solutions for those problems.

Kelly said the design criteria for roadways is based upon a book called “The Roadside Design Guide.” Kelly said the standard is a “forgiving roadside” which allows for a clear zone off the roadway allowing for drivers to come to a complete stop safely.

Byrnes said she felt that every solution presented is being responded to with a problem.

Kelly said MoDOT has done some things already to resolve the issues, including making changes to the Stracks Church Road intersection and reducing the speed limit to 55 mph through the work zone corridor.

There was then some discussion that drivers think the 55 mph speed limit only applies when workers are present, but Cannon clarified that the speed limit remains the same regardless of whether workers are present. This led to a conversation about getting the word out better about the speeding issue in an attempt to try to reduce speeds through the work zone.

After some further discussion, Improve I-70: East Project Team Director Kim Trainor said MoDOT would investigate at spot locations along the south outer road or along the interstate. She said they would also work with the contractor to look at the aggregate shoulder area to see if it is compacted.