Pacific official want to clean up the I-44 exit and entrance ramps. They say the entrances are the first spaces people see when they come into the city and they want to improve the city’s image.
Specifically Pacific officials want to pick up litter, improve the landscaping and prohibit truckers from parking on the ramp overnight.
They say truckers are biggest culprits, tossing uneaten food, food cartons and even human waste onto the side of the ramp.
The city has prepared an ordinance to prohibit parking on the ramp.
Jack Wang, MoDOT community relations spokesman said the city can ban parking and enforce their no parking ordinance. MoDOT is in the process of drafting a work order to make and install no parking signs for the Pacific ramps. It would be about eight weeks before signs would be installed.
One local businessman, who asked not to be identified, said the no-parking on the ramps rule could backfire. The action could have a negative effect on city taxes.
“The truckers stop here to buy fuel, basic supplies, eat and take a shower,” he said. “They park on the ramps be ready to take off the following morning.”
Pilot Travel Center, a popular stop for over the road truckers, is one of the city’s largest sales tax providers.
Once the truckers learn they can’t park on the ramp at Pacific entering I-44 to get some rest, they might just move on to the next city where they can park overnight to buy their gas.
Improving the landscaping on the ramps is a more simple affair but requires prior approval from MoDOT. Wang said the city can go forward with plans to improve the landscaping on the ramps but before the city does anything with the landscaping they have to secure a permit.
Basically the public is prohibited from removing or adding any vegetation on the ramps.
“The ramps are in the MoDOT right-of-way,” Wang said. “To change the landscaping the city would have to reach an agreement with MoDOT.”
“More and more cities are doing that,” Wang said. “In cities throughout the St. Louis area you can see where cities have improved the appearance of their ramps with flowers and other plants, and even adding to bridge design, but they must have an approved agreement to do any planting.”
Herb Adams, president of the board of aldermen, asked that the ramp improvement project be assigned to the City Beautification Committee to craft a beautification plan for the ramps.
MoDOT also controls who is allowed to pick up the trash on the ramps.
“There are ‘No More Trash’ groups that are assigned specific areas to pick up the trash on MoDOT right-of-way,” Wang said. “If that specific area (Pacific ramps) has not been spoken for, the city can seek a permit to pick up liter.”
How silly our government has become – a permit is needed to pick up trash off the ground.
Talk about taking a sledge hammer to kill a bat, what a dumb idea. Post signs that simply say: no trash dumping. If MoDot allows it place a camera near the off ramps where you can see who the violators are and maybe pass an ordinance allowing the City to mail a ticket to the address listed on the license plate and if they do not appear to contest the ticket the Court enters Judgment and their CDL License would be suspended.
Meant KILL A NAT!