ST. LOUIS — On Tuesday, residents and commuters were met with cones and tires on Page Boulevard for a road safety demonstration in St. Louis.
The Missouri Department of Transportation set up a possible restructuring opportunity to get the public’s feedback.
A nearly six-mile stretch on Page Boulevard has been a magnet for crashes, some that have been deadly, for years.
From 2017 to 2021, there were 696 crashes including 10 deadly crashes and 53 serious-injury crashes on the stretch of Page Boulevard.
Four of the fatal crashes and 10 of the serious injury crashes involved pedestrians.
That includes Page Boulevard between Skinker Boulevard on the west to Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. Then along Dr. Martin Luther King Drive to Tucker Boulevard to the east.
"We've got a paving project coming up here in 2026 and we're taking this opportunity the next couple of years to talk to residents, neighbors, who use this road and find out what kind of safety improvements they are interested in," said Jen Wade, area engineer for the city of St. Louis.
MoDOT officials named that the 5.8-mile stretch has a crash rate that is six times the statewide crash rate for similar roadways.
They will have the opportunity to invest up to $2 million.
On Tuesday, residents got to experience how various safety features might work and get their take on things.
They stood outside of Better Family Life learning about roundabouts, narrowing driving lanes and raising curbs as ways proven to stop speeding, aggressive driving and risky behavior.
One thing being considered on this part of the road is lane reduction.
"We have enough volume that one lane will serve everybody so it's something we are demonstrating today see what people think about it. The timing is nice because we have not finished design on this project yet. Sometimes the first time people hear about a project is when there are cones on the street and by then it's too late,” Wade added.
Marvin Strozier has quite the view working in Wellston at the St. Louis County-City line where the project will begin.
"Yeah it's ugly around here every day. A lot of accidents, high-speed chases, been going on for years," Strozier said.
Wade noted work they have done on other high-fatality route corridors around the city. She highlighted development work on Natural Bridge Road, where they have seen a reduction in crashes.
Residents can also fill out a survey over the next few weeks that will be considered for the project in 2026.
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