The Missouri Department of Transportation is hosting a public meeting next week in Odessa about a shoulder project that stretches along Route 131 from Route 50 to Route OO through two counties. The meeting is scheduled for Feb. 26 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Odessa Community Building in Dire Park, 601 W Main Street, Odessa, MO 64076.
Through the course of maintenance and safety improvement updates, MoDOT identified Route 131 as a section of roadway that would benefit from roadway improvements. The majority of the project will consist of adding two-foot-wide paved shoulders, however some of the shoulders may be widened up to eight feet on the inside of the sharp curves in Johnson County. This project also includes pavement resurfacing, culvert replacements and edge-line rumble strips.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, "More than half (57 percent) of U.S. traffic fatalities occur after a driver crosses the edge or center line of a roadway. Two-thirds (65 percent) of these fatal crashes occur in rural areas." Rumble strips have proven to reduce cross-over or run-off-road crashes by as much as 40 percent.
“At its very core, this is a safety project,” said MoDOT Area Engineer Rich Shipley. “Everything we are doing on this stretch of roadway, from adding shoulders to new pavement, is proven to make the route safer. And ultimately, that’s our number one priority -- safety.”
Preliminary plans should be done this spring. Construction is anticipated to start summer 2020 and may continue to 2021. Learn more on the project website here: https://bit.ly/2tuASqv
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