A series of public meetings are scheduled in the coming weeks — including one in this area — to help the Missouri Department of Transportation conduct an environmental study of Interstate 44.
The review, called Forward 44, will encompass a highly traveled east-west corridor that stretches from the Oklahoma state line to the Highway 100 interchange near Gray Summit in Franklin County.
Five meetings will be held, including one in Rolla. The public is asked to attend and provide concerns and any observations about the interstate. The Phelps County meeting is 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at Rolla City Hall.
“I-44 continues to be one of Missouri’s most important corridors for passenger travel and commercial trucking. This study is the first step in preparing for future projects along this interstate,” said MoDOT assistant southwest district engineer Greg Chapman, in a news release.
Chapman, lead for the Forward 44 study, said: “Getting input from the public who travel the roadway daily will help identify areas of concern and can assist MoDOT with improving safety and mobility for generations to come.”
According to MoDOT, a 2008 study showed the aging route needs additional roadway capacity to accommodate the increased travel demand. Since the highway was built more than 50 years ago, evolving engineering standards and safety components mean many portions of I-44 are inconsistent with current design standards, and the pavement and bridges need repairs, MoDOT said.
Public comments will be accepted, in person or online through Aug. 21 at modot.org/forward44.
Make it a toll road
There needs to be investigations into the areas where there are the most accidents/deaths, improve road lane markings.
Get the Rolla to St. James project done first before you look to the future! Extremely dangerous and have gone on way too long!
Agreed
Make it 3 lanes
Need to figure out a way to stop the road from buckling around the doolittle area making it extremely dangerous for drivers. Need to fix the areas where there are constant crashes, especially during rain/snow/sleet. Making the road 3 lines will help as well.
I concur with Becky Simpson’s comment. MODOT looking pretty pathetic at this point with that project. Days upon days of good weather and not a piece of machinery moving anywhere – long before the rains of May – July 2024. Lots of head shaking over this ordeal.
I will assume Paul Goldenstern does not need to access I-44 routinely. More taxes from the public is not gonna solve the travel issues of I-44, and don’t assume that a toll road will be well maintained because it is a toll road. The toll road I took through OK to TX was unbearable in the correct drive lane. Since there was very little traffic on my trip, I stayed in the passing lane most of the way to avoid the consistent roughness — and thinking the whole time “I thought toll roads were supposed to be better… what am I paying for?”
If you drive I44 regularly you know that isn’t very well maintained either. At least with a toll road we get more out of state money. How it’s spent is up to the representatives the state elects. If you want that money to go to that road, let’s get the right folks in those offices.
I believe a toll road has merit with tolls based on the amount of damage heavy trucks do to the infrastructure. Surely someone has statistics on this. It is not the massive pickups, electric vehicles or cars damaging the roads, its the 18 and greater wheelers. Also do you know garbage and log trucks don’t have weight limits and concrete trucks hang a rear axle which bears no weight to be “legally” overweight. Weight scales are open so infrequently rendering weight limits to an honor basis. Passing through a toll booth and requiring electronic weight scaling is a simple piece of legislation and the trailer infrastructure already exists to make those with weights over 12,000 pay for the damage they do. It will be a big legislative battle as the trucking industry has a lot of money to buy the legislature. One other item, if there is a climbing lane-NO TRUCKS over 12,000 pounds.