The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) gave its necessary blessing Tuesday afternoon to a Missouri Department of Transportation plan to spend $11.232 million next year on a proposal to provide multiple modern safety structures to U.S. 54 in Callaway County.
MoDOT first announced the plan a month ago when it completed its U.S. 54 Road Safety Audit.
CAMPO's approval now sends the proposal to the desk of Gov. Jay Nixon, who must add his signature to the work, triggering $8.997 million in funding from the Federal Highway Administration in Washington, senior transportation planner Sonny Sanders said Wednesday.
David Silvester, MoDOT Central District engineer, was at the meeting to explain the state concept to the regional leadership panel.
The plan includes bridge and safety improvements along U.S. 54, west of Route W to I-70 at Kingdom City. Those improvements will mean installation of guard cable, signage, high-friction surface treatment and guard rails. The engineering component of the project totals $1.327 million - $1.06 million of which will be federal dollars. The construction component of the project totals $9.6 million, of which $7.687 will come from Washington.
"The safety audit stemmed from a recent rash of wrong-way drivers on Route 54 in Miller County, along with a double-fatality crash on a curve located between Holts Summit and Jefferson City that occurred in July," Silvester explained in an earlier statement.
The July 12 crash killed Caleb H. McClain, 16, of Jefferson City, and Karlie D. Jones, 15, of Holts Summit. Their westbound 2006 Toyota Corolla crossed the median on U.S. 54 and collided with an eastbound tractor trailer driven by Francis D. Evers, 52, of Jefferson City.
The Highway Patrol reported the crash happened on the dangerous Mel Ray curve just north of the South Summit Drive interchange between Jefferson City and Holts Summit.
MoDot's audit found "that 69 cross median crashes have occurred on Route 54 between Mexico and Camdenton in the past five years, with three crashes resulting in four fatalities," the agency said. "The top three contributing factors to these crashes were driving too fast for conditions, physical impairment and distracted/inattentive driving,. Conducted by a multi-agency task force, the audit examined wrong-way, curve and cross-median crash data for the five-year period covering Jan. 1, 2011, to July 19, 2016. The safety audit members also visually observed crash locations on Route 54."
The closing date of the audit was extended after the Mel Ray curve crash in July.
CAMPO's vote also included approval of $275,000 for an analysis of safety improvements along U.S. 54 in Cole, Miller and Camden counties. That work will encompass U.S. 54 west of Stadium Boulevard in Jefferson City to Cecil Street in Camdenton.
The all-engineering project, termed "scoping" in transportation language, will be covered by $247,500 in federal funds with the remainder of the $275,000 coming from Missouri coffers.