MoDOT is launching a new campaign to try to end deadly crashes and save lives along Natural Bridge Road in St. Louis. They’re also taking a closer look at what’s causing the crashes.
Since 2012 there have been 18 deadly crashes on Natural Bridge in St. Louis. Fifteen of them involved pedestrians. Overall, there have been more than 1,400 crashes along that same four-mile stretch of road during that time.
MoDOT officials acknowledge that’s a problem.
“You are more likely to get into a crash on Natural Bridge Road in St. Louis than on other similar roads across the state,” said MoDOT St. Louis Area Engineer Michelle Forneris.
She’s part of a team that’s taking action. Team members also include the Missouri Highway Patrol, the St. Louis Police Department, the federal Department of Transportation, local and state elected officials like Representative Joshua Peters of St. Louis. Together they study traffic problems along Natural Bridge.
Peters says issues include speeding, jaywalking and problems with lights and crosswalk signals. The effort started with a road safety audit by MODOT last summer.
“We’re launching a unified effort across the state to really come up the statistics that are needed to build an argument to the federal government to identify these areas so that we can pull more funding down from the federal government to improve the roadway.”
MoDOT will hold two meetings this week to hear from people who live along Natural Bridge about the biggest challenges they see facing the roadway. The findings from that Road Safety Audit are expected later this month.
The agency is also producing a series of videos to bring more awareness and response to the problems along Natural Bridge.
