May 10, 2008 05:39 pm
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By Wally Kennedy
wkennedy@joplinglobe.com
PINEVILLE, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Transportation intends to make design changes to Highway 71 from Route H to Route 90 in response to suggestions from local residents.
Following approval by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, construction could begin in late summer or early fall.
Included in the plans will be construction of a permanent median barrier at the intersection of Highway 71 with Business Highway 71/Wolf Den Road. It will replace a temporary barrier.
Other changes are the creation of right-in/right-out only access to the Business 71/Wolf Den Road intersection; the installation of rumble strips to alert drivers of the intersection; the installation of median drains to help with water runoff north of Brush Creek Road on Highway 71; and the installation of two streetlights at the turnaround north of Sugar Valley Circle.
The department also will update its speed study to determine if a speed-limit reduction is needed.
In February, MoDOT officials publicized a series of proposed changes to Route 71. Area residents attended a March public meeting and provided comment on the plans.
During that meeting, local residents objected to a proposal that would extend the concrete median barrier through the entire section from Route H to Route 90. With the revised plan, the barrier openings at Brush Creek Road and north of Sugar Valley Circle will remain in place.
MoDOT, however, is leaving open the possibility for revision at either of the locations if a safety problem should arise in the future. The department could re-evaluate the need for the entire median.
“Most everyone attending the meeting or calling our office were not happy with the idea of extending the barrier,” said Becky Baltz, district engineer for MoDOT’s Southwest District. “We promised we would listen to residents’ concerns and they made some very valid points regarding length of travel and emergency response times.”
Another publicly requested item that MoDOT will not install is a stoplight at the intersection of Highway 71 and Business Highway 71/Wolf Den Road.
“Safety is our main concern,’’ said Baltz. “We can’t approve a traffic light on a high-speed road that is coming off a curve and doesn’t have good sight distance. The right-in/right-out entrance is the best method of ensuring the safety at the Business 71/Wolf Den intersection.”
The planned improvements resulted from a series of accidents last fall. MoDOT then decided to implement various changes to the intersection including enlarging the stop sign, adding another stop sign to the left-hand side of the westbound traffic lane and posting a curve sign with a speed advisory at the approach to the intersection.
Previous steps
Early in October 2007, MoDOT reduced the speed from 70 mph to 65 across a large portion of Highway 71 that included the Wolf Den Road/Business Highway 71 intersection. Working with law enforcement and county officials, barricades were erected in November at the median, which closed the intersection to motorists attempting to cross or make left turns onto Highway 71.
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