A group is looking to include the portion of Hwy. 21 in Jefferson County as part of a scenic byway through the Ozarks.
However, some of the county residents who attended an Aug. 24 public hearing said they feared they may be taken for a ride.
About 50 people attended the hearing at the Jefferson County Administration Center in Hillsboro, where Eric Hermanson of Scenic Missouri, the nonprofit group that is applying to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) for the designation, outlined the group’s plans.
The Ozark Run Scenic Byway, he said, would include 375 miles through 11 Missouri counties, starting at I-270 and Hwy. 21 in south St. Louis County and proceeding south on Hwy. 21 through Jefferson County south to Ellington, then zigging and zagging until reaching its end at Hwy. 65 north of Branson.
By definition, a byway foregoes interstate highways in favor of twisting, turning, tree-lined, state-maintained roads that also may have historic and recreational attractions along the way, or a few miles off the designated route.
The byway would feature a couple of “spur” routes, including one on Hwy. 185 from I-44 at Sullivan to Hwy. 21 at Potosi.
Hermanson said although the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, which oversees MoDOT, must approve the byway, the only support the state will provide is signs posted on highway marker posts along the way to keep motorists on track.
“There will be no new construction,” Hermanson said. “Byways use existing (state) roads.”
However, he said, counties and cities along the route always have the option of making improvements to lure traffic off the road.
The primary restriction, he said, is that new off-site billboards are not allowed along a byway. Billboards advertising a business on its own property are not restricted, he said.
Benefits of byways
Hermanson spoke of the benefits of the designation.
“There’s a greater recognition by designating a road a byway,” he said. “It will call attention to the intrinsic qualities of the area. It will provide a boost to tourism. Other byways around the country report millions of dollars of economic benefits, mainly by giving the road a name.”
An IT professional, Hermanson said he pitched the idea to the nonprofit Scenic Missouri group about two and a half years ago. Since then, he’s written a draft application and non-binding corridor management plan that has been presented to MoDOT and its Scenic Byways Advisory Committee.
“This is a gift to you,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of heavy lifting to put this together. I’m just a guy from Bridgeton who had an idea. There’s no hidden agendas here.”
The next step under the state law governing the establishment of byways, Hermanson said, is garnering the support of each county and most municipalities along the route.
In Jefferson County, Hillsboro held a similar meeting Aug. 18, and Mayor Buddy Russell said the idea was met with a “mixed” reaction.
Some of the people from the Hillsboro meeting also attended the Aug. 24 countywide hearing.
No meeting is necessary in De Soto because almost all the land along Hwy. 21 in that city is zoned commercial, which means the billboard restriction is unworkable through it, as well through 11 other municipalities, Hermanson said.
“A city like De Soto would not be considered an official part of the route, but the byway would still go through the city and there would still be signs posted in the city,” he said.
The application notes that De Soto officials have said they support the idea, as has the Jefferson County Growth Association.
Two neighboring counties on the route, Washington and Franklin, also have committed their support for the route.
Some question the plan
Most of those at the hearing did not question Hermanson’s motivation, but said they had reservations about the plan.
Dave Becker of Otto recalled problems when MoDOT built the new Hwy. 21 through his family farm three decades ago.
“A lot of people are bitter about the highway system because of that,” he said. “How much will this affect us? Can you tell us they can’t infringe on our own property?”
Councilman Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) noted that he has heard similar, unsuccessful pitches for byways in the past.
“This is the fourth time I’ve heard this come up in 22 years,” he said.
Hermanson said state laws were modified over the years to make scenic byway designations more palatable.
“Things have changed between then and now,” Hermanson said. “People’s property rights are not restricted by the state in any way, with the exception of the billboards.”
County Counselor Wes Yates and David Courtway, the county’s director of administration, stressed that the state law that governs byways can be more obtrusive than Hermanson characterized it.
The law states that if the Highways and Transportation Commission designates a road or highway under its jurisdiction as a scenic byway, it may implement “protective measures to preserve and protect the designated road” that may include acquisition of scenic easements, controlled access and landscaping.
“Acquisition of scenic easements? That says eminent domain to me,” Yates said.
Council member Renee Reuter (District 2, Imperial) questioned the need for the bureaucracy involved.
“Do we need this?” Reuter asked. “If all this is about is naming a beautiful road that people can drive on, I don’t think we need an official label. We do have something to sell, but not necessarily with a scenic byway designation.”
Hermanson said the designation will draw people from outside the area.
“There are people who don’t necessarily know that Missouri has hills,” he said, but the byway can potentially draw their interest to the route and attractions along the way, including the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge Historic Site north of Hillsboro and Washington State Park south of De Soto.
“This may be opening a Pandora’s box,” said Johnathan Sparks of Imperial. “And what if a county doesn’t approve?”
Hermanson said many of the counties along the route already have supported the plan, but if a county or city does not, the route could be redrawn to avoid that area. However, he said, having several jurisdictions opt out would be problematic.
Council member Brian Haskins (District 1, High Ridge) asked whether local approval of the byway plan was permanent.
“If a county votes for it and finds it’s not what it expected, is there an out?” he said.
“Yes,” Hermanson said. “A body that approves the byway for their county can withdraw that approval at any time.”
Janet Engelbach of Hillsboro asked why the Missouri Department of Tourism can’t promote scenic routes without having to go through a designation process.
“I don’t know why we need another agency to get involved,” she said.
Hermanson said he agreed to a point.
“The Missouri Department of Tourism should be doing this. I wholeheartedly agree,” he said. “But that’s a shortfall. I’d like to see them get more involved, but they’re not. I have to fill in that gap.”
The council took no action at the meeting.
After Hermanson gave an initial presentation to the council at a work session in August 2021, a resolution to support the byway idea failed for lack of a second.