GOVERNMENT: MODOT OPEN HOUSE FLOPS; PLAN STILL UP FOR COMMENT

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Two people wandered into an open house held by Missouri Department of Transportation officials on Monday evening. MoDOT officials hoped they sought to discuss long-range transportation planning, the theme of the open house, but they were looking for a meeting in another part of the building.

Like the Perryville open house, many of MoDOT's open houses have suffered sparse attendance, said Scott Meyer, MoDOT district engineer.

"It's hard to get people to care at this stage, because they can't see anything concrete," Meyer said.

MoDOT officials have conducted numerous open houses, consensus-building sessions and road rallies to gather public opinion about what Missourians want in the way of transportation. The information is used to help project the state's transportation needs for the next 20 years.

It hasn't gone for naught. More than 3,100 residents and 1,500 civic leaders throughout the state have participated in the process, said Angela Wilson, MoDOT public affairs manager.

The information-gathering process, which has gone on for about a year, will come to a head in December when the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission meets to approve the long-range plan. The plan will go to the Missouri Legislature in January.

Although MoDOT is still soliciting opinions through meetings, mail, a toll-free phone number and e-mail, many policy directions have become clear, Meyer said.

A significant change will be shifting focus from new construction to rebuilding and remodeling roads and bridges. An example is limiting direct access to every business along a main thoroughfare, Meyer said.

Using a four-lane road with a center lane for left turns as an example, Meyer explained that cars coming in and out of driveways and often making awkward left turns cutting across busy roads is a traffic pattern that could be improved. A possible solution would place a barrier where the center left-turn lane is. This would force drivers to choose a point of access that would be created on a side street off the main road, he said.

In this case, the road becomes safer, traffic is less congested and roads can handle more traffic, Meyer said.

Once ideas like this are suggested for specific streets, Meyer expects more public reaction.

The long-range plan is comprehensive, considering air travel, ports, public transportation and even pedestrians' needs.

The plan will not be static. Revisions are planned every two to three years.