Major Culbert street project to detour traffic onto county routes; shared‑use path redesign will remove parking

City staff told the business district the Culbert street project is about to begin and will be a major traffic disruption for residents and businesses.

The Chair said the project is expected to last about five months and will require detours that could route commuter traffic onto residential streets such as Newport Avenue or out to I‑44 and Station Road. Staff said they are coordinating signage, detours and signal timing adjustments with the county and MoDOT to reduce local congestion, but cautioned that some backups are unavoidable: members noted morning backups on I‑44 already extend toward Selma.

The council recently decided to redesign a proposed 10‑ft shared‑use path to pull it closer to the street to reduce impacts on properties along the path; that shift will eliminate the parking lane on the west side of South Avenue. Staff said the redesign will require rework of project plans and continued coordination with county and federal timelines.

On traffic management, staff said some signal timing changes at Station Road could help but cannot eliminate heavy backups during peak commute periods. The staffer said the district will use signage and outreach to inform motorists and protect the business district during construction.

What happens next: staff will continue coordination with county and MoDOT on detour routes and signal timing and will provide updated construction and signage plans to the district.