Highway 54 in Camdenton is maxed out on traffic.
City Administrator Jeff Hancock put some hard numbers to the city's board of aldermen this week, to explain a situation that many local drivers experience every day.
Hancock has recommended two highway extension projects.
The three-lane stretch of Highway 54 from the City’s Square to its western limits has a capacity of 17,500, according to Bob Lynch with MoDOT. Lynch reports those three lanes are near and have sometimes exceeded that capacity.
Records from November 5, 2015 and November 9, 2015 show that 17,225 and 19,264 vehicles were in and outbound.
Thus, Hancock has begun the process to have a 5-lane widening project listed for MoDOT’s attention in an effort to ensure safe and efficient access into and out of the city.
Another lane expansion project from the Pier 31 intersection to Highway F was recommended, as was consideration of four highway lanes for visitor and second-home owner traffic from Kansas City.
Hancock noted the importance of long-range planning for access to and from the City, especially in light of 2016 campaign rhetoric in favor of infrastructure funding.
Hancock's recommendations came as a result of working with the Camden County Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) appointed by Lake of the Ozarks Council of Local Governments (LOCLG) and with Presiding Commissioner Greg Hasty.
