Columbia plans to slow traffic on Stewart Road
A mile stretch of Stewart Road in central Columbia may get several new ways to slow traffic.
The Columbia City Council will vote on Monday about traffic calming devices along Stewart Road between Garth Avenue and West Boulevard. Those include two speed tables, two speed humps and three crosswalks. The project is expected to cost $31,800.
Stewart Road ranked the highest on Columbia Public Works’ Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. The stretch just west of the downtown area is close to several schools, including the University of Missouri and Grant Elementary School. Speeding and a number of cars using Stewart Road helped put it at the top. More than 3,900 cars travel the stretch a day, according to Public Works, with many cars going over the 30 m.p.h limit.
The plan calls for speed humps just east of Westmount Avenue and Edgewood Avenue. The two speed tables, which are raised intersections, will go at Stewart Road and Westwood Avenue, as well as Stewart and Lindell Drive. The crosswalks will go at Edgewood, Glenwood Avenue and West Parkway.
ABC 17 News covered the issue in November, when Public Works hosted its first interested parties meeting on the project. News crews saw several cars going over the 30 m.p.h. limit. Many residents agreed slowing traffic was needed, but some had different ideas on how to get there.
Brian McCartney has lived on Edgewood for a decade. With two children in tow, he thinks the speed tables, humps and crosswalks will be a good first step towards fixing a problem he sees in the area.
“There’s a lot of kids that live here on Edgewood that walk down here to Grant School or ride theIr bikes, so I think a crosswalk, especially here, would be an excellent idea,” McCartney told ABC 17 News.
Others that wrote in asked for bike lanes to be painted along the stretch. Public Works had suggested just one bike lane on the north side of the road, and mentioned that narrowing the road may slow traffic.
