Skid-resistant pavement to be tested in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri transportation officials are testing an anti-skid surface treatment in Kansas City and several other sites after having positive results with it in Jefferson City.

The Missouri Department of Transportation said it hopes to have the treatment installed this summer on the ramp from southbound Interstate 29 to southbound Interstate 635 in the northern part of the city, The Kansas City Star reported. Highway officials are trying to determine whether it reduces the number of crashes, especially the number of vehicles that run off the road.

"It goes down like any other asphalt treatment that we have," said Laurel McKean, a district traffic engineer with MoDOT.

"The difference is it is a kind of a tack layer with a higher, more durable rock and larger rock that sticks up such that your tires grab to the rocks more and you get better control with that surface."

McKean said drivers will notice that their ride feels "a little bit rougher and their tires may sing a little more."

The high-friction surface treatment has been used in other parts of the nation.

"They have found great success with this treatment," McKean said. "They have seen at least around 90 percent reduction in crashes where they have deployed this treatment."

Two years ago, MoDOT tested the treatment on U.S. 54 in Jefferson City.

The I-29 project is among nine throughout the state funded through a nearly $1 million federal grant. In addition to curves, the treatment could be used on steep grades and intersections.

The transportation department picked the I-29 ramp as a test subject because it's an area where drivers run off the road.

"After we saw the crash types and what was occurring, we thought this would be a good one for us to see if this can help," she said.