The Cole County Commission has signed a letter of support for St. Martins in the community's effort to get a Missouri Department of Transportation Safety Grant.
For the past decade, St. Martins has been trying to improve safety for students, pedestrians and bicyclists along West Business 50 near St. Martin Catholic School, St. Martins City Administrator Doug Reece said.
In 2012, St. Martins applied to MoDOT for Safe Routes to Schools for funding to add a sidewalk, but that request was not funded. St. Martins received $8,000 from MoDOT in 2014 for an engineering study to suggest safety improvements along Business 50. In 2016, St. Martins applied for $400,000 to add a sidewalk along with curb & gutter from Verdant Lane to St. Martin School, but that request was not funded.
This year, the town decided to take different approach.
"We are proposing the addition of 8-foot asphalt shoulders designated as bike lanes in both directions along Business 50 from near routes T/D for 1.1 mile west to just past Carel Road," Reece said. "School crossing lights in front of St. Martin School would be included in this project. These bike lanes would also allow students, pedestrians, persons in wheelchairs and joggers to get out of the traffic lanes and travel more safely along Business 50."
The estimated cost to add these bike lanes is $877,989.21, Reece said. St. Martins is requesting $400,000 from MoDOT's Transportation Alternatives Program to add to $250,000 already pledged by Cole County. St. Martins would pay the remaining $227,989.21, plus another $188,320.53 to add overlay to this stretch of roadway, and would be responsible for any amount in excess of the original estimate.
St. Martins would have enough right-of-way to add sidewalk, curb and gutter in the future if funds became available, Reece said.