The Missouri Department of Transportation has resumed discussions about a proposed road improvement project along North Truman Boulevard in the Crystal City and Festus areas, after those talks were put on hold in January 2020 for further study.
In addition to MoDOT’s study, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the delay in resuming the project, MoDOT officials said.
In recent weeks, those who own property along the stretch of Truman Boulevard targeted for improvements received letters from MoDOT offering to schedule meetings with them so the agency can explain how the project may affect them.
MoDOT area engineer Stephen O’Connor said agency officials believe meeting individually with property owners is the best way to address any concerns they may have.
The estimated $2.3 million project includes the installation of a continuous bi-directional left-turn lane on Truman Boulevard from Brandon Wallace Way to Eighth and Sixth streets, as well as resurfacing the road and completing other associated work. The project also will widen the .82-mile section of road by 12 feet, with about 6 feet on each side of the existing four 11-foot-wide lanes (two each direction). The existing road has 8-foot shoulders on each side and they would be shortened.
“It’s a safety project to add a left-turn lane,” O’Connor said.
Not every property owner along that section of Truman Boulevard is happy about the proposed project, or at least not all aspects of it.
A group of property owners had previously complained to MoDOT and city and state officials about the possibility of the project taking away parking spaces from some of the businesses in the area. They also said they were worried the improvements would make it more difficult to enter and exit the parking lots.
Those concerns led MoDOT to delay the project last year to study it further.
Jim Smoot, who owns the building at 803/805 N. Truman Blvd., has been the most vocal opponent of the project and still has concerns about it.
Smoot said he is not against safety improvements to Truman Boulevard but feels MoDOT could design the project to avoid reducing parking space at businesses in the area and access to business lots.
“We’re not advocating for or against the turn lane,” he said. “But, this will cost us parking spaces. Truman Boulevard has four lanes that are 11-feet each. The new plans show five lanes (including the new turn lane) that are 12-feet each.
“The problem is a lot of the property owners don’t have an extra foot to spare.”
Smoot also is worried that the curbing called for in the project may affect access to parking lots.
“It’s, literally, if you put a curb up, people cannot get into a parking lot or, if they get into a parking lot, they can’t get into a parking space,” he said.
Smoot has suggested the following changes to the proposed project: set a 35-mile per hour speed limit on the entire stretch of road to improve safety; use 10-foot-wide lanes to minimize the impact on the property owners and use mountable curbs so parking spaces remain accessible.
In addition, Smoot said he would rather see MoDOT hold an open meeting with property owners rather than individual meetings.
Smoot said he believes he represents the vast majority of the 30-plus property owners along the stretch of Truman Boulevard.
However, at least one of the other property owners, Todd Capstick, owner of Twin City Monuments, 905 N. Truman Blvd., said he is for MoDOT’s plans and questions how many businesses Smoot actually represents on the matter.
“(Smoot) claims to be a spokesman for the businesses,” Capstick said. “He does not speak for me.”
Capstick said he is fine with meeting individually with MoDOT representatives.
“Crystal City and MoDOT are trying to improve safety,” he said. “They’re also going to do stormwater drainage work. Stormwater has been a problem on the road for 15 years or more. MoDOT is giving the opportunity to every business owner to see the plans. I think this will be a great improvement to Truman.”
Crystal City Administrator Jason Eisenbeis said MoDOT is merely carrying out what agency representatives promised last year, when they said they would meet with business owners to discuss the project.
“I believe back in January 2020 the object was to take a look at the plans, then meet with the property owners and show them how this will impact their property,” Eisenbeis said. “They received letters about the meetings. Now, we’re ready to meet.”
O’Connor said no timeline has been set for the start of the improvement project.