From Highway 50 to I-44, Highway 63 is the least improved highway in the state because of the geography here

Unfunded transportation needs in Maries County on the state highway system was the subject of discussion at last Monday’s Maries County Commission meeting.

MoDOT Area Engineer for the Meramec Region, Preston Kramer, and MRPC’s Planning Manager, Ann Freand, met with the commissioners and county clerk, along with Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) members Ray Schwartze and Steve Vogt, and invited guest Maries R-1 Superintendent Mark Parker.

Freand passed out a list of 22 projects identified in Maries County as transportation needs on the state highway system. Kramer said the projects near the top of the list have been on the list the longest as they remain unfunded, but continue to be transportation needs and priorities in the county and region. The first project on the list is a three county (Phelps, Maries, Osage) project, which is the major project of the realignment and adding driving lanes to Highway 63 from Highway 50 in Osage County to the Phelps/Texas County line. The needs on Highway 63 are corridor improvements including widening to 4-lanes. Shoulders and horizontal alignment improvements are needed as well.

Transportation funding simply does not exist for this major project. Kramer said he frequently is asked about when Highway 63 will be upgraded to more lanes and realigned. He said it will never happen with MoDOT’s current funding level. It will require more money for the $250 million expansion project. However, MoDOT is spending $20 million to do spot location improvements on the existing alignment. In Westphalia at the Highways 63/133 junction, turn lanes were added and the project came out well, Kramer said. Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel commented that, “It made a big difference.” Kramer said that intersection just north of Westphalia was the worst intersection in Osage County.

Most of MoDOT’s money is used for maintenance. Big $250 million projects won’t happen, but smaller projects can be accomplished. Over time MoDOT can make Highway 63 better on the existing alignment.

Kramer began to go through the list saying he has not added anything to it. These projects are staying on the list: Route E functional needs to address the occasional flooding that traps residents at Nagogami. Safety improvements to Highway 42 East by adding two feet of paved shoulders. Safety improvements at the non-standard Y intersection of Highways 42/133. Asphalt all county road approaches to state highways, which mostly are completed. Improvement needs at the bridge on Rt. N over Rodgers Creek. Safety improvement of adding shoulders on Highways 28 and 133 in the entire county. Lengthening the southbound acceleration lane at Highway A on Highway 63. Lengthening the acceleration lane at the top of the hill on Highway 63 north of the Gasconade River Bridge. Improvements to the intersection at Highways 63/42 in Vienna, which doesn’t meet justifications for traffic signals but would benefit from a turn lane or a roundabout. Addition of a south entrance to the Rolla National Airport off Highway 68. Need to lengthen runway and/or fly zone at the Rolla National Airport. Increase frequency and options with OATS or other rural transportation service. Convert inactive Rock Island Railway into hiking trail. Widen bridge on Highway 28 over Dry Fork Creek. Address needs on bridge on Route P over Lanes Fork Creek. Add left turn lane on Highway 63 at Quaker plant to improve traffic flow. Replacement of bridge on Route C over Peavine Creek.

One project was removed from the list, that being the completed northbound acceleration lane on Highway 63 at the Highway 68 junction just north of Vichy. Kramer said it’s working well and he’s seen semis and trucks pulling trailers using it.

Kramer said there is no money for the Rock Island Railway conversion into a walking trail. Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said they want private funding and he doesn’t know if this will work. Also, local fire departments would need equipment upgrades just to get to the trail if there was an incident when hikers needed help. Ray Schwartze said as the trail would come from Owensville into Belle, it is not a problem because it is along the highway. But going west the rough terrain is hard to get to. In Argyle and Meta its private land. There also will be maintenance to take care of a trail. Drewel said within four the five years the brush would need to be cleared away from it. Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said from Sugar Creek to St. Elizabeth it is rough country.

Kramer said a turn lane at Highway 63/42 in Vienna would be beneficial but there is not enough room without buying out a business and that can’t happen.

About adding a left turn lane on Highway 63 at the Maries County Quaker plant, Kramer said MoDOT hoped to use a partnership on the project. They spoke with Quaker about a year ago and Quaker had “sticker shock” with the price and were not of a mind to do it at that time. Two turn lanes are needed to improve traffic flow at a cost of about $150,000 for each turn lane. Kramer said MoDOT generally asks for about 50% of the project cost in the partnership. There is a benefit to the state system as there have been a lot of accidents there involving workers and vehicles delivering products.

Stratman said the junction of Highways 63/28 toward Belle at the airport is a site he believes needs to be added to list. Kramer said when the shoulders were widened there they looked at adding a southbound left turn lane and needed more space, but the property owner would not work with them and MoDOT does not like to condemn properties. Drewel said a left turn lane there would help the airport and Kingsford, too. Stratman added it is the best access highway to Belle.

Kramer said rather than extending the passing lane on Highway 63 at Route A, he is more interested in extending the passing lane on the north end of the Bassett Memorial Bridge, extending the lane to where the Catfish Patch road  (MCR 325) is.

Drewel asked Kramer if the changes to Highway 63 will ever be made. Kramer said he can’t say never because this year the state obtained $351 million through bonding to pay for bridges. “All that we do is paid for by gas tax,” he said, but last year the governor wanted state money for bridges and the bonding was approved. The bonds will be paid back by general revenue. Bridges are important and seven years of bonding can be justified for something that lasts 50 to 100 years. There also is some interest in addressing flooding areas. Kramer said the “last two times they asked voters to increase transportation funding, they’ve said no.” Now, the governor and Lt. governor are interested in infrastructure and workforce development.

Kramer said Highway 63 is now a project that will never happen with the current revenue model. From Highway 50 to I-44, Highway 63 is the least improved highway in the state because of the geography here. There have been relocation improvements, additional shoulders added, rumble strips, spot improvements and huge benefits from passing or climbing lanes. They’ve done a project here and there but beyond that it will take an increase in funding.

Stratman said south of Rolla the three lanes work fine. Kramer said they’ve talked about three continuous lanes of pavement on a new alignment from north of Westphalia to the Butcher Shop, and south of Rolla with intermittent passing lanes. This is what they’ve looked at for safety reasons. Stratman said on the three lanes they can paint stripes as they did in the 1960s on the suicide lane. Kramer said they did a case study south of Rolla and they did not see a reduction in the number of accidents but a lessening in the severity of the accidents as people were less likely to pass. They can’t change human nature but the intermittent passing lane did improve safety. Going with three lanes instead of four would reduce the costs of buying right-of-way, moving utilities, and the big savings would come in the reduction of pavement.

Stratman said the commissioners think the non-standard Y junction at Highway 63/28 to Dixon is a concern but so expensive MoDOT will not be making safety improvements there. Kramer said it is expensive but there is a location to join the highway but its south and property would have to be purchased in order to do a 90 degree intersection. Superintendent Mark Parker said they reroute buses to avoid the intersection. Kramer said that Y junction is the biggest one in the MRPC region and there is a reason why its on the list.

The commissioners chose this transportation need as number one on their priority list for 2019-2020. As number two they chose safety improvements by adding shoulders to Highway 28 throughout the entire county. Number three is safety improvements at the non-standard Y intersection at Highways 42/133. They added a number four priority, which is safety improvements at the Highway 63/28 to Belle junction by adding a turn lane.

Drewel asked if they can add the safety improvement of adding two foot shoulders to Highway 28 along with the junction improvement because everything would be there to do the work. Kramer said no because they are two separate and different needs.

Stratman said the Highway 28 to Dixon additional paved shoulders is good because there is not a good way to get to Dixon. Kramer said Maries, Gasconade and Pulaski counties are all interested in improvements to Highway 28.

Freand said they look at traffic volume maps. Kramer said with highways with traffic counts with over 1,000 a day, MoDOT likes to see a paved two foot shoulder.