After three women were killed in a Sept. 28 eight-vehicle crash on I-55 south of Festus, four state representatives and other community members have contacted the Missouri Department of Transportation to raise concerns about the safety of motorists traveling through the 8-mile stretch of the interstate in Jefferson County where construction is underway.
The $246 million construction project calls for the addition of a third lane in both directions of I-55 from just north of Pevely to just south of Festus at Hwy. 67, as well as changes to the I-55/Hwy. 67 cloverleaf interchange and rehabilitation of bridges along the stretch. Construction began in January 2024, and the work is expected to wrap up in December 2026. During the project, there have been numerous lane reductions and lane shifts as stretches of the new lanes are completed.
A day after a truck driver was charged with three counts of manslaughter in connection with the deaths of Darla Parris of Pevely and Vanessa Knowles and Donnie Briggs of Tennessee, state Rep. Renee Reuter, R-Imperial, wrote a letter to MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger, which was also signed by fellow Jefferson County state representatives and Republicans David Casteel of High Ridge, Bill Lucas of De Soto and Cecelie Williams of Dittmer.
“As a representative in the Jefferson County area, I am devastated to hear of the loss of life due to the crash this past weekend on I-55 near the Festus area,” Reuter wrote. “I acknowledge the inherent dangers in completing large-scale construction projects on heavily used sections of road, and I appreciate the need for such projects. However, I am concerned about the dangers commuters and (MoDOT) employees may face, and I respectfully request your aid in addressing such concerns.”
A second serious crash happened in the construction zone exactly a week after the fatal crash, in nearly the same spot on northbound I-55 approaching Hwy. 67. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol report, a 3-year-old Festus girl was moderately injured in that Oct. 5 three-vehicle crash, when a Festus woman had slowed for traffic and a 2024 Ram 3500 driven by a 25-year-old Oklahoma man crashed into her car, causing her to crash into another car. The girl was the only one injured.
In her letter to the MoDOT director, Reuter requested a report on fatality and injury crashes in the construction zone from the start of the project through Sept. 30 in an effort to determine any patterns. She also requested a meeting with MoDOT representatives to discuss how further fatalities and serious crashes could be prevented.
This map marks 2025 crashes along I-55 in Jefferson County.
I-55 crash data
Sgt. Andy Gadberry, a Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesperson for Troop C, said in 2024, there were 40 injury accidents reported in the I-55 project work zone. As of noon Oct. 10, the highway patrol had received reports about 26 injury accidents in the work zone in 2025. No fatalities were reported during that period, but Gadberry and another patrol spokesperson, Dallas Thompson, acknowledged the accident data for 2025 was not complete.
“This obviously does not account for the fatal crash (on Sept. 28) where three were killed,” Thompson said. “The reporting for current year is not in real time. It takes a bit for agencies to report to us. Investigations have to be complete and reports submitted before the totals are updated.”
Both Gadbery and Thompson said the Sept. 28 fatal accident is still under investigation. Gadberry said there could be other recent crashes where crash reports had not been turned in or the investigations had not been completed.
By comparison, in 2023, before the I-55 project began, there were 43 injury accidents, including one fatality, on that same stretch of the interstate.
Festus businessman calls for change
Don Bolinger, who owns the Pasta House in Festus and lives south of Festus off Hwy. 61 not far from the I-55 work, said he and his family have been avoiding I-55 at all costs during the construction project.
He said he heard there was a problem with where the lane reduction on northbound I-55 started just south of exit 174 to Hwy. 67. After the Oct. 5 crash, he decided to drive the section of I-55 himself. What he saw made him decide that MoDOT needed to act immediately before another serious crash occurred.
Bolinger, who also owns ATG Sports in Festus, contacted current and former MoDOT officials that day and then posted a message on the Concerned Citizens of R-7 Facebook group encouraging fellow residents to also contact MoDOT and KCI Construction of St. Louis and urge them to move the lane reduction on I-55 approaching Hwy. 67 a mile south and farther away from a “blind hill.”
“I have been in the construction (business) for 29 years, with 10 of it in highway construction,” Bolinger said in the now-deleted Facebook post. “This absolutely needs to be changed immediately and moved another mile down the road. I encourage everyone to call Justin (Wolf). He is the lead (MoDOT) engineer for this project. There are no words on social media that will ever change inattentive driving … It only takes about 50 cars to back up before the blind hill comes into play. Look at the pictures from last Sunday where the accident happened and you can clearly see the cars (were backed up) and someone popped over the hill and everyone was stopped. This will continue to happen and for sure happen every Sunday.”
Within hours of his post, people began posting that MoDOT was relocating the lane reduction. Bolinger praised MoDOT for correcting the issue and installing a rumble strip to slow down drivers.
“I don’t think we’ll have another major accident there, but you never know,” he said. “You can’t predict the future, but it is 1,000 times better. You have a 2-3-mile length sight distance for cars stopped. There’s really no blind hills. And so it is better.”
Unfortunately, Bolinger said, no amount of signs or rumble strips will stop people from inattentive driving or speeding.
He said he drove I-55 again the other day and was pleased to see the Highway Patrol monitoring the area.
Reuter gets a response
On Oct. 10, Rachel V. Sudduth, a spokesperson for MoDOT’s St. Louis District, said the agency has responded to the representatives and welcomes the opportunity to discuss the topic further with them.
“MoDOT and our contractor continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure safety in the work zone,” Sudduth said. “Together, our agencies are exploring all available options to protect both workers and drivers. To improve visibility and driver awareness, MoDOT recently relocated the start of the northbound I-55 work zone further south and installed additional warning devices. Our agencies will continue to monitor work zones and adjust as needed to improve safety throughout the project.
“The I-55 Corridor Improvement Project will remain active through the end of 2026. We urge all motorists to follow posted signs and obey speed limits – so that everyone can get home safely.”
Reuter said she was happy to hear MoDOT had already made some changes. She said the state representatives planned to meet with a MoDOT representative this week.
Stopping speeders
Jefferson County Undersheriff Tim Whitney said the Sheriff’s Office has increased its presence in the construction zone area.
“The Sheriff’s Office is also working closely with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to implement both immediate and long-term initiatives aimed at enhancing traffic safety and public awareness,” Whitney said. “I spoke with MSHP Troop C Commander Capt. (Kevin) Malugen (on Oct. 8) and was advised that the patrol will be deploying their STORM (Strategic Traffic Operations and Rapid Mobilization) team to the area. Our agencies will remain in continual communication to ensure enforcement efforts are coordinated as construction continues.”
The highway patrol officially launched its STORM team statewide on Sept. 1. It is a specialized group of 23 troopers “with diverse expertise, including canine units, impaired driving enforcement, hazardous moving specialists, interdiction officers and motorcycle officers.”
The Festus Police Department has issued 735 citations on I-55 and Hwy. 67 since January for various offenses, mostly speeding, Chief Doug Wendel said. He asks motorists to slow down and pay attention when driving through work areas.
“This is a dangerous area, and the travel lanes are constantly changing, making it more difficult to navigate through. Please be careful.”
Herculaneum Police Chief Sharia Kyle said anyone who regularly travels on I-55 can see the blatant speeding and disregard for construction workers’ safety. She said her department can’t maintain a constant presence along I-55, but officers do conduct targeted traffic enforcement.
“We have had several people reach out to us to express concerns over traffic safety in the construction zone, as well as thank us for our officer presence on the interstate,” Kyle said. “Our officers have been able to stop over 500 offenders on the highway this year, and we will continue enforcement efforts as long as it is deemed necessary.”
Pevely Capt. Don Moore said highway and traffic safety is a top priority for the department since MoDOT has estimated approximately 70,000 vehicles travel the I-55 corridor through Pevely every day.
“Our officers conduct active traffic enforcement along I-55 and throughout the city every day,” he said. “This includes speed enforcement, aggressive driving patrols and presence during construction activity. One of our officers even introduced a creative approach – when the speed limit drops to 50 mph, she activates the rear deck lights of her patrol car to catch drivers’ attention and encourage them to slow down.
“These kinds of innovative, proactive efforts reflect our department’s commitment to safety through visibility, enforcement and out-of-the-box thinking. At the end of the day, our mission is simple: to keep every traveler – resident or passerby – safe as they move through the city of Pevely.”