The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has released a draft version of its fiscal year 2024-28 State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) and is asking for public comment.

Those interested in commenting can search STIP on MoDOT’s website and there is an online comment form. Commenting period ends July 6.

The Mark Twain Regional Council of Governments which includes Audrain County met last week in Perry to hear from MoDOT about the STIP and to share projects local officials have prioritized for adding to the STIP. MoDOT senior planner Rob Frese told the group MoDOT welcomes any and all comments.

“It’s a lot of asset management and taking care of roads trying to keep things open and passable,” Freese said.

Representing Audrain County at the meeting were Presiding Commissioner Alan Winders and Mexico Public Works Director Drew Williford to communicate the local needs and priorities. 

The top priority locally is the construction of a four-lane shared roadway from Mexico to Louisianna on U.S. 54. MoDOT has completed a study of the project but has not released a draft to the public. Those who have seen the draft said the total project will cost more than $90 million. Winders noted it’s also the top priority for Pike County.

The second priority is Missouri Routes 15/22, also known as Muldrow Street in Mexico. Williford said the street is in poor condition and it receives the most complaints from the city fields. 

“While it’s in the city it does impact Audrain County because it does have several truck traffic and cargo that goes through that particular route,” Williford said.

The third priority is safety and congestion upgrades along Business U.S. 54 in Mexico on the south side of town. Another project a little further down the list in Mexico is to improve the intersection of Missouri Route 22 and Morris Street which also includes an intersection with the railroad tracks.

“It’s an odd atypical configuration,” Williford said. “We’ve got some safety concerns and so does the railroad.”

Another top priority is adding a turn lane at Route A (Benton City) off of U.S. 54 Highway.

“There continues to be more traffic there,” Winders said.

The last thing on Audrain’s list is all lettered highways in the county which also seems to be a top priority in the region. Winders said Audrain County doesn’t have any specific issues it wants to be addressed but would like to see MoDOT allocate some resources.

“What we're asking MoDOT to do is use your expertise, your knowledge, your understanding of what the problems are and what’s available to make as many of those repairs as possible,” Winders said. “We listed it as a need but I think it’s a need shared by every county in this region.”

There are also some pedestrian traffic upgrades Mexico and Audrain County would like to see. This fiscal year MoDOT will begin a project to upgrade sidewalks and make them ADA-compliant along Muldrow Street and there are plans for upgrades in Farber. 

“It has a lot of connection to downtown and commercial districts,” Williford said about the Muldrow project.

Other projects slated for this year include bridge improvements over the Kansas City Southern railway west of Centralia on Route 22; pavement improvements and rumble strips on Route 22 from Mexico to Boone County; a bridge improvement over Goodwater Creek on Route C; more than 16 miles of pavement improvements on Route D from Route Z to Route 15; pavement improvements on Route FF from Route Z to one mile east of Route 15; pavement improvement on Route M from Route FF to Route D; and a bridge improvement over Hickory Creek on Route K.

Other representatives from counties in the planning district also had concerns about lettered routes and some wondered if particular routes would ever be completed. Frese caught a little bit of heat from some. Frese said the department works with what’s given and progress is being made.

“There are needs that come off the list,” Frese said. “We have moved a lot off recently.”

MoDOT officials said the department is also fighting inflation which is forcing some projects to be pushed back a little bit as costs rise.

“The price of everything is going up and it doesn’t go as far as it used to,” Frese said.

Winders defended the department and said MoDOT is also dealing with outdated practices and more traffic than what the roads were originally designed for.

“I think we understand that this wasn’t MoDOT’s problem that created this,” Winders said. “It was the construction methods from 50 years ago and truck weights and the relationship between those two things.”