With the upcoming construction of Evergy’s new natural gas plant in April, U.S. Route 71 near 340th St. will soon undergo changes to help improve overall safety.
An open forum was hosted Jan. 21 at the Maryville Public Safety building for community members to provide feedback on the proposed renovations.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is expecting an increase of 400 cars or more per day on the route this summer, once construction for the plant begins. This increase is due to the number of workers it will take to build the plant.
Part of the renovation plan includes adding a J-turn — an alternative merging method for divided highways. MoDOT will help with the highway renovations and has found this option to be much safer than alternative methods. Improved traffic flow and reduced collision numbers are expected for long-term results.
MoDOT Project Manager Timothy Miner spoke about why he thinks this method is superior for safety.
“Instead of drivers making maneuvers to where they are crossing the road — which leaves them open to right-angle crashes — with a J-turn, instead of crossing and leaving yourself open to a collision, you just do a right turn, accelerate and merge safely,” Miner said.
Source: Missouri Department of Transportation
ANNA CASE | Designer
The addition of J-turns on highways has resulted in a 40% deduction in crash frequency in Missouri, as well as a 74% decrease in fatal crashes, according to MoDOT.Â
The new J-turn is expected to slow down average arrival times for motorists. While the change could cause trips to be extended a few minutes, the intent is to decrease the potential of life-altering collisions.
A side-impact collision is one of the most severe collisions a driver can experience. It occurs when the driver is turning left and is hit from the right. About 43% of traffic incidents occur in intersections, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
While residents may not see this intersection as a safety issue now, there are concerns being brought up about the surplus of vehicles traveling on the road.
Josh Moutray, a community member who lives in the middle of the project area and has voiced concern over the plant’s construction in the past, once again brought forth concerns about the project.
“As it stands right now, I wouldn’t consider it dangerous, but if you are going to add 400 or more cars to the intersection, I can see it being a problem,” Moutray said.
With construction set to begin in the early summer months, another concern from the community is that there will be traffic delays as soon as the project begins. However, MoDOT wants to assure all drivers that they can expect little to no major delays.
For a long time, Route 71 has been primarily used by large vehicles like commercial transport trucks and farming equipment. Miner said farmers should feel assured that they will not be impacted by the changes.
The open forum appeared to be a success for all parties involved, with sights set for this project to go out for contractor bidding by April.
Both MoDOT and Evergy are hoping the community views these renovations positively so work can begin as soon as possible. Miner said he is excited for the construction to start, and he hopes the community will echo that confidence.
“I am hoping to hear that everyone loves it (the project),” Miner said. “We (the project organizers) are getting some comments, and I think that’s good; it can help us formulate if we need to make any changes.”