“These highways provide an economic lifeline for the Lake that will extend decades into the future”, according to Jim Herfurth, Chairman of the Lake of the Ozarks Transportation Council, “because they will relieve congestion…improve our mobility and safety…and assure our ability to manage growth in the future.”
Full funding for three, big Lake-area projects is included in the 5-year State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) that covers fiscal years starting this month and concluding 6/30/2010:
- New MO 5 from the Niangua Bridge south through Camdenton to a relocated MO 5 and MO 7 junction. Construction will start late this summer!
- New MO 5 from south of the new MO 5/MO 7 junction to just south of the Laclede County line. Construction is expected to start in early 2008!
- US 54 Expressway bonding dollars will push the start of this major project up by many years. Construction from the Glaize Bridge north is planned for early 2008...with the Southern part from the Bridge pass KK planned for early 2009! We could be driving on the new Expressway by late 2010.
MoDOT District 5 Engineer Roger Schwartze reports that “we hope to have you driving on these new highways by late 2010 or early 2011.”
New Corridors Will Relieve Congestion And Handle Continuing Growth
I don’t know of any news that has ever been bigger for the future of the Lake area,” Herfurth says.
He explains that: “Completing these projects in the next 5-7 years is huge, because this is fast enough to not interrupt our boom at the Lake. We all saw the traffic congestion for another big 4th of July here and know that we must have these new highways as soon as possible to keep it easy and fun to get around at the Lake.”
Herfurth points out that without the bond program financed with revenues from the successful Amendment 3 vote by Missourians, the area was looking at 10-15 years minimum for the Expressway and finishing MO 5 South. “That would have broken our bubble,” he says…now, we can tell the world that HELP IS ON THE WAY!”
New Highways Will Benefit Lake Area For Decades
A bright future for the Lake of the Ozarks as a great place to live, vacation, convention, or shop is almost guaranteed with this major acceleration of these new highway corridors.
LOTC officials point out that the new corridors will allow growth to occur on a planned, managed basis without distracting from the mobility and quality of life at the Lake.
As an example, Herfurth said: “MoDOT estimates that new traffic generated by two new Osage Beach developments could reach peak levels of 4400 cars/hour when the large new residential/ commercial/retail projects are completed.”
“That’s dynamic growth, but not something we can handle with our existing roads,” he said. “The good news is that with our new highway corridors, we’ll be able to safely and comfortably accommodate this kind of new growth…and more,” Herfurth added.
The LOTC Chairman emphasizes, too, that safety of motorists will be improved because of more even traffic distribution, improved access to major routes, and splitting big trucks and other through traffic away from local traffic.
New MO 5 & US 54 Expressway Provide Many Benefits
These specific benefits seem certain to occur as the result of the new highways:
MO 5 from the Niangua Bridge south thru Camdenton to the Laclede County line opens the west side of the Lake for planned, controlled growth.
“Unquestionably, there’s lots of growth headed for the West side of the Lake,” Herfurth said. “Now, we can handle it.”
- Safety and mobility for local residents and vacationers will be vastly improved. Camdenton will get relief in just a few years for dangerous congestion associated with the high school and the 5-54 bottleneck in downtown. (The contractor will build the new MO 5 section from US 54 South through the city first.)
- Traffic to and from I-44 will move much faster and far safer from Camdenton South to the county line, and then on to Lebanon.
The new US 54 Expressway will both improve local mobility and safely speed other traffic through the area.
- Increased traffic that goes with growth can spread out between the existing 5-lane and the Expressway because at least seven connectors are planned to provide exceptional access between the two corridors.
- Once traffic can move more conveniently on a choice of either the 5-lane 54 or the Expressway, local residents, non-resident property owners, conventioneers and tourists all will have easier, faster and safer access to businesses, shops, attractions and professional services throughout Osage Beach and Lake Ozark.
- Large trucks and other through traffic can go no-stop on the Expressway – getting these dangerous “competitors” away from local traffic.
Significant economic impact can be expected from this major highway construction program that comes in addition to the building boom already occurring at the Lake.
