Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation

City: Kirkwood/Sunset Hills.    Route: Kirkwood Road, and Old Gravois    Location: Kirkwood road-Between Big Bend & Manchester. Old Gravois in Sunset Hills

Type: Shoulder, Improved drainage grates

Description:
I often ride old Gravios road, and noticed after the recently completed repaving, the drainage grates on the side of the road have openings in them that are about 1" wide, but unfortunately, they run parallel to the road surface, forcing my road bike further towards the middle of the traffic lane. It's not a huge deal now, with the Gravois bridge closed to automobile traffic, but it will be more of a hazard once that road opens completely. They're also about 3" below the actual paved surface... that's not cool. Those are not nearly as dangerous at the drainage grates on Lindberg Blvd (Kirkwood Road) between Big Bend and Manchester, they're all all the narrow steel type that also run parallel to the road. they're also about 1/2 the width of the outer lane, forcing a cyclist to either risk doing an endo of the the bars when a front wheel gets lodged in the grate, or forcing the cyclist out into traffic to go around them. I used to cycle commute to work, Crestwood to Earth City and Lindberg was the preferred route for me. My company set me up to telecommute 3 years ago, so it's not a huge issue as I usually just try to avoid the area, but it's not always possible. Weren't these types of hazards supposed to be addressed when the respective areas were repaved??? I'm disappointed & alarmed they're still using these types of grates. What agency would have the authority to address these safety issues?

Importance:
Safety

Obstacles:
The ones on Kirkwood road have been there several years, and they're just a big safety hazard. The ones on Old Gravois will also become a hazard once the bridge is rebuilt and traffic increases

Top 8 Project
Top 100 Project

Facility Type(s):
·Shoulder

School:
·Bicycle