Man voices concerns about Grace Lane traffic to Boone County Commission
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Jack Donelon, of Columbia, spoke during the public commentary section of a Boone County Commission meeting Tuesday morning to address increased traffic on Grace Lane.
"With development, more and more people are using the road and there's no room," Donelon said. "There are children moving into the neighborhood and need to cross Grace Lane to access the school bus. One of these days somebody is going to get hurt when it could have been prevented," Donelon said.
According to Donelon, this isn't a new issue and has been an ongoing problem that is not getting addressed.
"I have been trying to address the traffic issue for years," Donelon said. "I come here today to talk and I just feel like nothing is getting done," he said.
The Boone County Commission addressed Donelon's concerns. The commission said Grace Lane is a busy county road that the Boone County Sheriff's Department frequently conducts traffic enforcement on.
According to sheriff's department spokesman Capt. Brian Leer, there have been 50 traffic stops there this month.
"It has become a major road for that part of Boone County and has a high volume of traffic," Leer said.
Grace Lane is a narrow, two-lane road that has experienced change over the years according to Leer.
"When I started working with the county, it was a dead end street so the residents out there who have been there for years have experienced some major growing pains when it comes to traffic," Leer said.
Boone County District I Commissioner Justin Aldred told ABC17 the commission previously talked with City of Columbia about the issue.
"...The County Commission has met with City officials to discuss our current and future road and bridge infrastructure needs, with a particular focus on roads such as E Richland Rd, N Grace Lane, and S Rolling Hills Road," Aldred said in an email.
Aldred also referenced the Grace Lane alignment study conducted in 2018, which was meant to begin to address similar issues.
"This was a joint project between the City of Columbia and Boone County focused on developing roadway design options that would reduce the number of conflict points along Grace Lane and the area surrounding it," he said. "Several different options and alternatives are listed in the study."
"In the past the City and County have entered into Road Improvement Agreements that would address issues for both entities and foster cooperation, and I believe that is a viable option when looking at this area," Aldred said.
