Osage Beach Boosts Speed Limit For Road To Redhead, Shorty Pants, But Drivers Still Average 15 Over

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — Three Seasons Road handles plenty of traffic, being the only route by land to access Performance Boat Center, Redhead’s Lakeside Grill, and Shorty Pants Lounge. And city officials say vehicles headed that direction are going fast, with many traveling over 50 mph in a 30 mph zone. In response, the city has bumped up the speed limit, hoping drivers will slow down.

On Sept. 1, the Osage Beach Board of Aldermen voted 5-1 to raise the speed limit from 30 mph to 35 mph on Three Seasons Road between State Highway KK and Mockingbird Lane.

Alderman Phyllis Marose was the sole no vote, saying she favored keeping the speed limit at 30 within the city limits.

But if the speed study conducted recently by city officials is indicative of typical traffic patterns, the new speed limit is still about 15 mph slower than the speed most motorists drive heading from KK toward Mockingbird.

Osage Beach Public Works Director Nick Edelman said the speed study found the average speed for vehicles on Three Seasons heading toward KK from Shorty Pants Lounge and Red Head Yacht Club is 30 mph. But vehicles heading the other direction averaged 51 mph.

“We had a number of people exceeding those speeds, but that’s the average speed,” Edelman said.

That pattern – with such a wide speed variance on the same stretch of road depending on the direction of travel – is unique to Three Seasons Road, Edelman said. By raising the speed limit to 35, the hope is that motorists will drive a more reasonable speed – in both directions – through the area.

Alderman Kevin Rucker asked if the road there is engineered to safely handle traffic at the higher rate of speed.

“It’s not a problem,” Edelman said. “It can handle 35 easily. The traffic’s already doing it, and we’re not seeing a lot of issues.”

Edelman said he couldn’t remember the last time there was an accident on Three Seasons Road.

Other Business

In other business Thursday, the board:

Authorized the city to purchase a computer software upgrade from AOS, LLC, for $36,763.
Approved a budget amendment to transfer money from “computer equipment” to “computer software” to pay for the new software.
Authorized the city to apply for Transportation Alternatives Program grant funds for two sidewalk projects. The first project is the next phase of sidewalk construction that already has been completed on one side of Osage Beach Parkway West from Highway KK to around Case Road. The next phase would complete the sidewalk to Jeffries Road. The cost of that project is estimated to be about $500,000, with the city responsible for $100,000 and the federal government paying the balance. The second sidewalk project is for a sidewalk from Walgreens near the intersection of Osage Beach Parkway and Highway 42 to the intersection with Barry Prewitt Memorial Drive. That project would be paid by the federal government and the Osage Beach Special Road District.