Community feedback sought for 2050 transportation improvement plan

By Cameron Montemayor

Area transportation planners are seeking community feedback for the next quarter century of transportation improvements across St. Joseph and surrounding communities.

The St. Joseph Area Transportation Study Organization recently unveiled a interactive portal survey as part of its 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan process. The survey is designed to gather community input on key long-term transportation needs and priorities for the region.

“This is really the blueprint for the next 25 years in regards to transportation,” St. Joseph Transportation Planner Max Schieber said. “So we need to plan ahead.”

From roadways to biking routes and public transit, residents can offer feedback on more than two dozen long-term transportation improvement projects listed across the St. Joseph Metropolitan Planning Area, a three-county area that includes Buchanan and Andrew County and the cities of St. Joseph, Savannah and the Village of Country Club, along with Doniphan County and the cities of Wathena and Elwood.

Schieber said the survey will be available online until Sept. 15. Projects include improving operations at the Interstate 29 and U.S. Highway 36 interchange and improving bicycle/pedestrian facilities along Riverside Road.

“You can click on them and kind of say, I like this project or I don’t like this project. you can also leave a comment saying maybe I want this tweak,” Schieber said.

The survey also includes a budget tool to provide preferences for how transportation funds should be divvied up. Residents can choose if a greater portion of funds should be budgeted for things like existing infrastructure or prioritizing efficiency and speed of projects.

Survey feedback will be incorporated into a rough draft for a 45-day public comment period around October followed by an open house likely in November. The transportation plan will go before a policy board made up of elected officials in December for review and approval.

“All of these projects are going to be listed by ranking and actually as part of the kind of structure of that feedback … a project that gets a lot of public feedback is going to rank higher on that list and that’s going to be really good for funding,” he said.

A link to the survey can be found here: live.metroquestsurvey.com/?u=yaq13#!/?p=web±=dynamic&s=2&popup=none.

Road and freight improvement projects in survey

1. U.S. 59 and Port/Freight Access: Improve the U.S. 59 corridor, including enhanced intermodal access (including truck, ship and rail) to the riverport to support surrounding industrial facilities and industrial parks.

2. I-29 Operations/Access Improvements: Explore potential capacity, safety, and access improvements along the I-29 corridor within the region. This could include enhancements to existing interchange ramps or exploring a potential new interchange to enhance access just north of the U.S. 36 corridor.

3. I-29 and U.S. 169 Interchange: Improve safety and traffic operations within this interchange area. Consider potential long-term improvements/redesign.

4. New Rosecrans Airport Access with River Crossing: Explore the potential for a new river crossing that would enhance access to the airport and enhance regional connectivity.

5. I-229 Redesign Improvements: Construct the proposed I-229 improvements that would eliminate the elevated structure and replace it with an at-grade roadway.

6. U.S. 36 Safety and Traffic Improvements: Improve safety and traffic operations along the US 36 corridor. Identify potential opportunities to improve interchange/ramp connections and look at the long-term potential to upgrade the corridor to interstate standards.

7. I-29 and U.S. 36 Interchange: Improve safety and traffic operations within this interchange area. Consider potential long-term improvements/redesign that would provide for an enhanced connection to I-229, and ultimately improved access to the downtown and Stockyard industrial area.

8. U.S. 36 and Route AC Interchange (East St. Joseph): Improve safety and traffic operations within this interchange area. Consider potential long-term improvements/redesign.

9. Belt Highway Safety and Traffic Improvements: Improve safety and traffic operations along the Belt Highway corridor. This could include intersection, traffic signal, and/or access improvements.

10. Riverside Road Improvements: Explore opportunities to improve traffic operations along the Riverside Road corridor. This could include intersection and traffic signal improvements, or the use of alternative traffic designs, such as roundabouts.

11. Cook Road Improvements: Improve/upgrade the existing portions of Cook Road to add capacity and enhance safety. This could also include intersection and traffic signal improvements.

12. New Cook Road with I-229 interchange: Construct a new east-west roadway (extension of Cook Road) that would include a new interchange at I-229. The new roadway would tie into Cook Road at U.S. Highway 59.

13. Rochester Road (U.S. 169) Improvements: Improve safety and traffic operations along the corridor. This could include intersection, traffic signal, and/or access improvements, and potentially enhanced improvements to connect to I-29.

14. I-29 and I-229 Interchange Improvements: Improve safety and traffic operations within this interchange area. Consider potential long-term improvements/redesign that would provide for an enhanced connection to I-229

15. U.S. 59 Improvements: Explore long-term improvements to enhance the traffic operations and safety of the U.S. 59 corridor within the region, including enhancements within and through Savannah and connecting to Country Club.