High Priority Project List: Share the Road signs installed in Rolla area, bridge upgrade in St. Louis County

In spring 2010, MoBikeFed worked with many of you around Missouri to develop the High Priority Bicycle, Pedestrian, and ADA Projects list.  The result was a list of more than 200 important, needed bicycle and pedestrian projects around Missouri.

In spring 2011, MoDOT announced that the agency had found $13.5 million in new funding for 13 of the projects.

Of course, that leaves more than 200 important, needed projects unfunded. So what is going to happen with those projects?

We envisioned that local citizens and advocates would work with their cities and MoDOT districts to move many of these projects forward over time.  And now, thanks to work by advocates around the state and supportive MoDOT staff, it is happening.

Meramec Bridge Bicycle Upgrade in St. Louis County

That happened, for instance, with the Meramec River Bridge in St. Louis County.  A local cyclist, Dr. Susan Swope, bikes across the bridge daily.  She used the project's listing on the High Priority List as part of the leverage to approach her local MoDOT office about completing the project.

As you can see in the image to the right (from Dr. Swope's video of bicycle conditions on the bridge), the road leading up to the bridge has perfectly bicycleable shoulders, but the bridge itself has no shoulder, meaning the bicyclists who cross the bridge are suddenly forced into the main traffic lane with fast-moving highway traffic.

The bridge provides a key link for bicyclists in this part of St. Louis County--the only bicycleable route connecting major population centers.  Dr. Swope realized that the situation could be remedied by a simple re-striping project on the bridge.

In August MoDOT announced they would take on the project of re-striping the bridge to make a safer for bicycling, and in fall 2011 the project was completed. The bridge now has shoulders striped and provides a much safer and more inviting link across the Meramec River for bicyclists.

MoDOT installs Share the Road Signs in Rolla

Now another project from the High Priority List has become reality.  One of the top priority project suggestions from the Rolla area was to add "Share the Road" signs to routes and roads that are already commonly used for cycling.

Share the Road sign

This summer and through the fall, local cyclists have worked together with MoDOT staff in the area to figure out the best routes, the best locations to the place the signs, and other details.

Now MoDOT is installing the signs.  Jason Sommerer of the MoDOT Central District writes:

I just wanted to let you know we have installed 6 of the 11 Bicycle/Share the Road signs (1 on Routes E and BB; 2 on Routes O and F).

The rest of the signs will be installed soon.

Thanks to Jason, MoDOT Central District staff, and Rolla-area cyclists for working together to make this project a reality!

Creating a World-Class Network of bicycle and pedestrian facilities is one of the four key objectives in MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri.

Your membership and financial support helps makes projects like the High Priority List a reality.