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Business owners urge Grain Valley to press MoDOT for Jefferson Street safety upgrades
Summary
Owners of Elliott Glass and other residents told the Board that Jefferson Street needs guard rails, speed changes and maintenance; they say MoDOT told them improvements won't happen until an I‑70 widening in about two years. Aldermen asked the city attorney to research legal options to press MoDOT.
Andrea Elliott, co‑owner of Elliott Glass at 1255 NW Eagle Ridge Blvd, told the Grain Valley Board of Aldermen during public comment that she and other business owners are concerned about safety on Jefferson Street. She said they "reached out to MoDOT and MoDOT stated nothing will be done because the widening of I‑70 will occur in the next two years." Elliott said her business and others have collected petition signatures asking the City to pursue guard rails, speed limit changes and additional maintenance.
A relative of a local youth named Christian, who identified herself as his grandmother, also urged more immediate action and said a two‑year wait is too long.
The topic resurfaced during board reports when Alderman Brian Bray described safety problems at the I‑70 interchange and turn lanes at Buckner Tarsney, saying drivers in the outside turn lane are cutting across lanes and that the inside lane vehicles are at risk of collisions. Alderman Ryan Skinner said he had reached out and asked at what point the City could take legal action; City Attorney James Newell said MoDOT owns the interstate roads, limiting the city's authority to restripe, but he agreed to research options and provide written guidance, including any petition process under the Dillon Rule and the meaning of "necessary and fairly implied powers." Community Development Director Mark Trosen confirmed staff has contacted MoDOT representatives but that MoDOT has not yet implemented corrective measures.
No formal vote or directive with a deadline was recorded, but the minutes show the board asked the city attorney and staff to investigate next steps and provide further information to aldermen.
The matter remains under study; business owners said they have a petition and asked aldermen to act to secure safety changes sooner than the timeline they were told by MoDOT.
