The Missouri Department of Transportation will hold a meeting on Tuesday, June 24, to discuss proposed safety improvements for Hwy. 30 in Jefferson County. The open house-style meeting will be held from 4-6 p.m. at the Cedar Hill Elks Lodge, 8430 Industrial Drive in Cedar Hill.
No formal presentations will be made during the meeting, but area residents may view the project details and speak with MoDOT representatives and project consultants.
According to MoDOT, from 2016 to 2020, there were 1,620 crashes within a 20-mile stretch of Hwy. 30 in Jefferson County, from Hwy. Y in Grubville to Old Sugar Creek Road in the Murphy area in unincorporated Fenton. MoDOT’s plan since 2024 has been to reduce serious or fatal crashes at various locations along Hwy. 30 by installing several types of safety improvements.
In spring 2026, MoDOT plans to use lane narrowing for a curve on Hwy. 30 a half a mile east of Dittmer Ridge Road in Dittmer and for a Hwy. 30 curve about 2 miles west of Dittmer Ridge Road at Diehl Road near Cedar Hill Lakes.
Lane narrowing would gradually widen the centerline marking throughout these two curves. The 12-foot lanes will be reduced to a 10-foot width, maintaining MoDOT’s minimum standard.
The Missouri Department of Transportation plans to widen centerline marking throughout two curves on Hwy. 30.
According to MoDOT, from 2016-2020, there were 56 crashes in that 2-mile stretch of Hwy. 30. Six of those crashes resulted in fatalities or serious injuries.
Seventeen of those crashes were due to motorists veering off the road or veering into the opposite lane.
“This type of improvement is projected to reduce crashes by 49 percent in this section of the roadway,” MoDOT said in a written statement.
“The goal is to encourage drivers to slow down and pay attention along curves.”
Rachel Sudduth, senior communications specialist for MoDOT, said lane narrowing is a newer concept for the Jefferson County area, but it has been implemented in other parts of the state with similar traffic volumes. She said motorists drive more slowly and pay more attention to roads that feel slightly narrower.
“We are encouraging residents to come out to the public meeting, learn about the improvements and leave their comments/concerns,” she said.
Other improvements
In 2024, retroreflective backplates on traffic signals and flashing LED warning lights were installed on Hwy. 30 in Jefferson County.
According to MoDOT, during the same time, modified right turns were added at the highway’s intersections with Hwy. BB in Cedar Hill and Hwy. Y in Grubville.
The modified right-turn lanes were added to improve driver-side visibility and discourage high-speed right turns by straightening the curves.
A new guardrail was installed a half a mile east of Dittmer Ridge Road to absorb any impact and guide vehicles back onto the road and prevent vehicles from veering off the road or hitting permanent objects, such as signal posts or light poles.
Curve warning signs or chevrons were installed east of Murphy and at Diehl Road to alert drivers to slow down. Other warning flashers were installed to notify motorists of traffic signs or intersections ahead.
All of these Hwy. 30 safety improvements are part of a $52 million Safety Improvements Project that stems from a partnership with MoDOT and St. Louis County for vehicle and pedestrian improvements in the city of St. Louis and St. Louis and Jefferson counties.
For more information about the Hwy. 30 improvements in Jefferson County, visit modot.org/projects/missouri-route-30-safety-improvements-jefferson-county.