The City has applied for a federal grant to cover 80 percent of the $1.1 million cost to widen the heavily travelled intersection at First and Osage streets.
The East-West Gateway Council of Governments has a recommended approval of the federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) grant, but award of the grant is subject to approval at the East West Gateway October, 2021 meeting.
The federal amount of the 80-20 matching grant is $892,173. The City’s 20 percent match for the project would be $223,000. The city’s share of the cost would come from the City’s capital improvement fund, which has a current balance of more than $500,000.
The gain for the city in the long-sought project would be improving truck traffic at the corner by creating wider turn radiuses in right turns to the east and south. But the city will lose a historic structure as the Aunt Kate O’Connell house at 222 North First Street comes down.
This is a huge step forward for the City. In the twenty-plus years that I’ve been reporting local news here the challenges for the big over-the-road trucks that have to navigate the city streets to reach the industrial parks has rankled officials. The problem has been studied and several plans looked at, but this is the first million dollar project to aid the truckers.
If the grant is approved in October, and there is every reason to believe it will be, utility relocation at the intersection would take place in 2022, the project would go out to bid in January 2024 and construction would begin in May 2024.
To make way for the northbound right turn lane, the city purchased the house at 222 North First, known locally as the Aunt Kate O’Connell house.
The City has approved a $18,000 contract to tear down the building and clear the property but demolition cost jumped a bit over double when asbestos was discovered in the roof shingles. Cost to remove the asbestos is $21,000.
The City tried to save the historic structure by offering it for sale to anyone who would move it but there were no takers. As the aged building continue to deteriorate complaints mounted.
“The city really does not have a use for the building and the complaints have been growing,” said acting Mayor Herb Adams. “Taking it down seems to be the best solution.”
If final approval is received, the widening project is is the first major step toward improving truck routes since the officials began discussing the issue more than a decade ago. Wider turn radiuses will enable trucks to make right turns toward and away from the industrial parks on Denton Road without interfering with other traffic, which has been a goal of city officials.
MoDOT 2019 traffic counts showed that 15,369 vehicles go through the intersection daily with 1,798 vehicles traversing the intersection at peak volume times.
The improvement would significantly reduce congestion and improve safety at the intersection.
A traffic engineering CBB traffic study showed that congestion is caused at the intersection especially during peak times. Some semi-trucks are required to wait extended periods and need to make a wide-swing into the adjoining to complete the turn. Other vehicles are often in the lane needed for the wide swing. Drivers of those vehicles are sometimes courteous and back-up to accommodate the truck but when there are other vehicles behind the vehicle in the lane, the trucks are stuck and gridlock occurs.
A MoDOT approved engineer will design the project.
Before applying for the CMAQ grant, the city discussed a 50-50 cost share agreement with MoDOT engineer Judy Wagner, who has since left MoDOT. The city decided to apply for the 80-20 CMAQ grant. If, for any reason EWG does not give final approval of the CMAQ grant in October, officials say the City would go back to the cost share idea.
How I remember learning to drive a stick shift when I was 16 years old and my dad insisted I had to go up this incline at this intersection on first street and cross the highway. I was terrified and saw trucks wanting to make that left hand turn onto first street from Osage as they were westbound and I remember “punching that gas pedal, stripping the gears, burning up that clutch to get across that intersection” my dad said we won’t have you cross here again🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I can’t afford to buy a new clutch because of you🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨
do we really want a MODOT engineer to build another fine interchange like LaMar and I 44 exit?