Work to improve a pair of dangerous intersections along Hwy. M in Barnhart is continuing, Missouri Department of Transportation officials say.
The project to install J-turns at St. Luke’s Church Road and Moss Hollow Road began in January, and since then motorists have had to contend with lane closures and orange cones.
The next phase of the project began April 10, and now drivers who need to turn left from Hwy. M onto Moss Hollow Road need to use the new J-turns located east and west of the intersection instead of making a direct left turn.
Stephen O’Connor, area engineer for MoDOT, said the closure of the intersection is needed so workers from R.V. Wagner of St. Louis can build new left-turn lanes using land in the median. They also will be working to improve drainage in the median.
After the work is complete, drivers will again be able to turn left from Hwy. M onto Moss Hollow Road, but those seeking to turn left from Moss Hollow onto Hwy. M will need to continue to use the J-turns, he said.
Similar work will be performed at St. Luke's Church Road in May, after classes in the nearby Antonia Middle School wrap up for this school year. O'Connor said that phase likely will take "a bit longer' than six weeks.
When all the work to improve the two intersections by creating the J-turns is complete, motorists who want to make a left turn onto Hwy. M from either Moss Hollow or St. Luke’s Church Road would first turn right, then enter a dedicated left-turn lane about a half-mile past the intersection to make the turn the opposite way, but with an acceleration lane to allow for a safe merge into traffic.
Some work will still need to be done on the larger Hwy. M project after work at the two intersections is complete.
O'Connor said the equipment for some of the lighting along Hwy. M is on order.
"It is unknown when the equipment will be shipped to the jobsite, so I am not comfortable estimating when the project will be done," he said.
He noted, however, that all work along that section of Hwy. M is scheduled to be completed this fall.
“When all the work is done, this will make it safe for everybody,” O’Connor said. “This will stop the T-bone accidents.”
According to the MoDOT website, many accidents in the area have been caused by motorists frequently driving too fast along the corridor. About 78 percent of all traffic in that corridor drive over the speed limit, and most crashes are caused by drivers failing to yield or failing to see oncoming traffic while in the median.
The project, estimated to cost about $1.6 million, also includes lighting improvements in the area and new striping and signs.
MoDOT officials initially announced the addition of J-turns at the intersections in January 2021 and had expected to complete the projects that summer.
However, the plan was paused in February 2021 because residents had submitted a petition with about 1,200 signatures seeking to put traffic lights at the two intersections instead.
However, MoDOT officials said the two intersections were studied and a road safety audit was performed that concluded that J-turns were the better and safer alternative and may cut accidents in the area by as much as half.
About 60 people attended an open house on Aug. 31, 2022, to discuss the project with MoDOT staff.
“It was a good meeting,” O’Connor said. “While not everyone was convinced that traffic signals were not the best answer, everyone agreed that something needed to be done to address the safety problems in that area.”