Cole County to make safety improvements along Tanner Bridge Road

A narrow and windy Cole County road will soon get some major safety improvements.

The Cole County Commission approved an agreement with a local engineering firm Monday to start design work on the project.

“The first one that came up was some recent accidents and primarily just people not paying attention and missing a curve and going through somebody’s yard and maybe getting stuck,” Cole County Engineer Eric Landwehr said. “That prompted us to look at safety fixes and so we just looked at the whole area.”

The improvements will happen in five locations.

One improvement will fix the narrow part of the road just off of Route B.

Another improvement will be at the intersection of Tanner Bridge and Tara roads. There drivers cannot see the intersection from either side of a hill and drivers on Tara Road cannot see cars coming from the left or right.

A third fix will raise the grade on a portion of road that floods near the Moreau River.

“When that happens, it actually land locks quite a few people including the school, and they just can’t get in or out or anything if they’re in there,” Landwehr said. “They can’t get out, emergency vehicles can’t get in there if they have to.”

Crews may also clear trees and make alignment fixes along a tight “S” curve.

And a fifth improvement will fix a sharp curve and dip in the road just past the Grand Highland Subdivision.

The total project cost is not know at this time because it is still in the design phase.

However, it will be funded through a portion of the half-cent sales tax that is allocated for safety improvements.

The county hopes to start work on the project this summer, according to Landwehr. But that may depend on a MoDOT resurfacing project on Route B.