UPDATE:
MoDOT is asking the public to join the state is deciding the best way to make Route 61 safer.
Last week, engineers introduced several new proposals to the public during an open house in Moscow Mills.
MoDOT published the details of that proposal online, and will continue collecting public comments on their website throughout the week.
Visit that website by clicking here.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY -- MoDOT is asking for public input on safety improvements to a dangerous local highway.
The state says Highway 61, between Wentzville and Troy, had a total of 661 crashes from 2011-2015. MoDOT spent several months collecting data that found three percent of those crashes occurred with drivers crossed the median, 24 percent occurred at grade intersections, and 74 percent of the crashes involved incidents on the main highway.
Work is already underway to remove or convert several crossover points along the stretch of highway. MoDOT outlines the project and costs on its website.
Now MoDOT is proposing additional safety improvements that could cost between $5-6 million. Most of those funds have not yet been identified.
The proposed improvements include adding more cable barriers along the route. There was a large community effort to take this action after a January crash killed a Wentzville woman and her two young daughters.
MoDOT also wants to close ten dangerous crossovers, and add acceleration and deceleration lanes to make it safer for drivers to take turns and merge.
“What we wanted to see was a good, conscious effort to try and improve safety along the 61 corridor,” said the mayor of Moscow Mills Mike Clynch, at a press conference Wednesday. “And I think what we saw today is a good start. It’s certainly not the end -- but I think it’s the beginning of a planning process that's going to take a while.”
On Thursday, MoDOT is hosting an open house on this proposal. The public can come anytime and speak with engineers, or leave written comments.
The open house runs from 4:30-7:00 p.m. at the William R. Cappel Elementary School at 121 Hampel Road in Moscow Mills.
