More people are being hit and killed by cars on New Halls Ferry Road.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the Missouri Department of Transportation have partnered this year to protect pedestrians and try to decrease the number of deadly crashes. The two agencies have had a longstanding relationship but knew change was needed.
"You're talking around 26,000 vehicles every day," Blair said, referring to the number of vehicles traveling on New Halls Ferry Road, a state route monitored and maintained by MoDOT.
Tom Blair, a St. Louis region district engineer for the MoDOT, said New Halls Ferry Road has hundreds of crashes each year, deadly or non-deadly, some involving pedestrians and even property damage to buildings. He said the St. Louis Coalition for Roadway Safety has noticed a significant increase in pedestrian fatalities throughout the St. Louis region year-to-year.
"That's what resulted in this newer program where our agency worked with north county law enforcement agencies to get vests and flashing lights out there," Blair said.
Lt. Aaron Schafer works with the North County Precinct said the partnership will aid in improved safety.
"We've handed out gun locks for gun safety in the past. We've also handed out steering wheel locks for safety, and now, we're handing out traffic safety vests," Schafer said.
Data sent to 5 On Your Side this week from St. Louis County Police revealed the number of crashes on or intersecting New Halls Ferry Road in 2023 and 2024.
St. Louis County Police say they have increased patrols and they continue to rely on businesses that have cameras capturing the traffic violence.
"Our officers are out there reminding the public to slow down to follow both pedestrian and traffic safety laws," Schafer said.
MoDOT said it will also work on traffic signal retiming, and the changes are on the way starting in 2026.
"We do have a paving project which includes sidewalk and pedestrian improvements," Blair said.
Schafer said he wants the public to know one thing if you're traveling on New Halls Ferry Road or any road: "Adhere to the traffic laws, slow down and if you see unsafe driving, please contact us,"
For a free high-visibility vest, you can visit the North County Precinct, located at 11815 Benham Road.
Trailnet, an organization that works every day to address barriers to core transportation - walking, biking and transit - provides yearly reports on St. Louis and St. Louis County. Find the 2023 report here.
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