CLICK HERE TO VIEW RESPONSE LETTER SENT FROM MODOT – DATED 6-5-24
The Oakmont Board of Directors is requesting your presence at the Oakmont Community Annual Meeting, which will take place at 1:00 PM on Saturday, May 04, 2024. This meeting will take place at the Oakmont Community Recreation Center, which is located at 2308 State Highway 86, Ridgedale, Missouri, 65739. The Oakmont Community Home Owner’s Association is the largest HOA in the State of Missouri and is comprised of over 5000 lots, over 450 residential structures, and over 900 permanent residents. The Oakmont Community is surrounded by and adjacent to the Big Cedar Lodge, the Blue/Green Wilderness Club Resort, and the Thunder Ridge Nature Arena development.
We are requesting your presence at our annual meeting in order to discuss concerns that the residents of the community have voiced regarding recent changes that were allowed to occur as part of the State Highway 86 expansion project. When the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) released information regarding the Governor’s Transportation Cost-Share Program, which included funding for State Highway 86 improvements, it seemed very sound, benefitting the residents of the area and helping to move traffic more efficiently. However, now that this phase of the State Highway 86 expansion project is nearing completion, we are gravely concerned about the safety of the members of our community, the tourists visiting our area, and the employees of Big Cedar. Following is a list of the concerns we would like for you to be ready to discuss at our annual meeting:
- No public workshops and/or hearings
- Traffic flow at Devil’s Pool Rd and State Highway 86
- Line of sight issues at Devil’s Pool Rd
- Center median design
- Visibility of roundabout center
- Striping and signage at Highway 65 and State Highway 86
Each of these issues is addressed more fully in the attached WORD document. (see below)
Your attendance at our annual meeting will provide the opportunity to address the concerns of our residents and their questions regarding future plans for State Highway 86 and the intersections within the project. Thank you, in advance, for your attention and response to this email request.
FYI – we are also forwarding this email and attachment under separate cover to the following entities, not to request their presence, but to advise them of our concerns:
- Taney County Commissioners
- Taney County Sheriff
- Taney County Fire
- Highway Patrol
- Governor
Oakmont Board of Directors
(Attached Document Sent with Email)
Concerns of the Oakmont Community
Regarding State Highway 86 Expansion Flow
- No public workshops and/or hearings
⦁ There were never any public workshops or public hearings available to our residents or the general public before the State Highway 86 expansion project was approved last year. Oakmont Board members reached out to MoDOT and Great River Engineering (GRE) for information on the project. As a result of our efforts to glean information regarding this expansion project, we found out that this project was not going to include a roundabout or signal light at the dangerous intersection of Devil’s Pool Rd and State Highway 86. It is probable that significant input would have been provided by concerned citizens regarding the plans for that intersection if the appropriate public workshops or hearings had occurred. Oakmont Board members expressed concern and apprehension about the omission of a roundabout at the intersection of State Highway 86 and Devil’s Pool Rd. Those concerns were expressed to MoDOT engineers and GRE Engineers, but to no avail.
⦁ GRE was allowed to move forward on this project with MoDOT’s blessing, even though it bypassed the conventional MoDOT process of public hearings and workshops preceding final authorization.
2. Traffic flow at Devil’s Pool Rd and State Highway 86
⦁ The problems occurring now at the intersection of Devil’s Pool Rd and State Highway 86 were predictable early into this project, but our concerns fell on deaf ears with MoDOT. We, as the Board, originally expressed concern and apprehension about creating a road with seven lanes on State Highway 86 at that intersection, and the danger for trying to pull out into traffic after it was completed. We were advised that MoDOT policy excluded the possibility of a lighted traffic signal at the intersection of Devil’s Pool Rd and State Highway 86, because it would be located between two roundabouts after the completion of the State Highway 86 expansion project. Now that this phase of the project is nearing completion, it is apparent that this intersection is very dangerous for anybody making a left turn onto State Highway 86 from Devil’s Pool Rd.
⦁ A roundabout would’ve been the most ideal solution to the issues occurring at the intersection of Devil’s Pool Rd and State Highway 86, but a lighted signal would still significantly reduce the hazardous situation that exists there now.
⦁ There is no merge lane provided for drivers taking a left turn from Devil’s Pool Rd onto State Highway 86. That intersection has become even more confusing with the addition of a west bound left turn lane, going to Branson Cedar Resort, which could easily be confused for a merge lane. It is predictable that this confusion will lead to wrong way traffic stuck on the wrong side of the concrete median at that location.
⦁ The danger of taking a left turn now at that intersection is also obvious to Big Cedar management, since they are requiring all of their employees to turn right, and go to the roundabout, rather than taking a left turn there. That process adds another 1.8 miles to getting onto State Highway 86 and is an unreasonable request of tourists and residents.
⦁ Now there are two lanes of traffic going at a high rate of speed in each direction and no merging lane to facilitate a safe entry into the eastbound lane of State Highway 86. Additionally, westbound traffic on State Highway 86 approaching Devil’s Pool Rd is approaching at a higher average speed because they’re not slowed down by anybody making a right turn onto Devil’s Pool Rd. The right turn lane makes it easier for people making that turn, but means that the other traffic is not slowed down by that process. So we have higher speeds, approaching from both directions on multiple lanes, compared to only two lanes to monitor before and no center lane to merge into oncoming traffic.
3. Line of sight issues at Devil’s Pool Rd
⦁ The sight line is very restricted due to placement of a guard rail at the entrance to Devil’s Pool Rd on the west side of that intersection. The placement of that guard rail is baffling, especially since MoDOT and the GRE Engineering Project Manager requested a donation of some of Oakmont’s property, to accommodate a better sight line. The placement of that guardrail has offset the elimination of other obstructions there, so that it’s actually more difficult to check for traffic coming eastbound than it was before the “improvements” were made at that intersection.
⦁ Initially, GRE advised that they were going to excavate some of the hill to create a longer site line just west of the Devil’s Pool Rd/State Highway 86 junction. Later on, they advised us that they decided not to, because MoDOT was agreeing to reduce the speed limit to 45 MPH, which made that not necessary. That might be OK except that people don’t go 45 MPH. They are going more like 60 MPH, now that they have a four-lane road.
4. Center median design
⦁ There are at least 2 places where there is a very flat curb that is perpendicular to the flow of traffic. This is a safety concern that vehicles may hit these medians causing property damage to their vehicles as well as the potential for loss of life in the case of a vehicle encountering an oncoming vehicle. These should at least be rounded off and painted yellow to increase visibility.
5. Visibility of roundabout center
⦁ We consistently see people running over the raised edge of the new roundabouts. These also should be more clearly marked with yellow paint so that they will be more visible. While it is true that those of us who live here have gotten used to these raised portions of the roundabout, this road is routinely used by out of town guests who are not familiar with this raised portion.
6. Striping and signage at Highway 65 and State Highway 86
⦁ The striping on the southbound exit ramp of Highway 65 onto State Highway 86 is extremely confusing, leaving most people wondering where they are supposed to go. The striping fails to provide a clear and concise path to follow that has been accomplished on other MoDOT projects. People in the far right exit lane have been observed coming to a complete stop before attempting to turn right into a dedicated lane of State Highway 86. Our concern is that this causes confusion at the intersection and does not facilitate the smooth flow of traffic onto State Highway 86, thus not alleviating the congestion that will occur when large scale events are planned at Thunder Ridge.
Big Cedar staff assured MoDOT that they would reduce traffic flow on Devil’s Pool Rd by 70% with the addition of another entrance road to Big Cedar. In the meantime, we’re going to experience a major increase in traffic flow soon, and the hazards will become significant at that intersection. Even if Big Cedar is successful in reducing their employees traffic flow at the intersection, it is still going to be dangerous for our residents, tourists, and general public that will continue to need to unitize that intersection on a regular basis.
Devil’s Pool Rd was already a dangerous intersection when State Highway 86 was a two-lane road, but the danger and risks have been multiplied as a result of the recent expansion to seven lanes at that intersection. The creation of a roundabout at the intersection of State Highway 86 and Devil’s Pool Rd during the recent State Highway 86 expansion project would have been the best solution to reduce the danger of collisions at that intersection. Unfortunately, that was not required by MoDOT as part of the expansion project. The safety of our residents, tourists, and general public has been jeopardized at this dangerous intersection as a result. The best temporary solution to this problem would seem to be the addition of an activated signal light at that intersection, unless or until a roundabout can be constructed at that intersection.
In summary, MoDOT has allowed this State Highway 86 project to multiply the risk that previously existed at the junction of State Highway 86 and Devil’s Pool Rd and created additional problems along the entire stretch of State Highway 86 in this project. There will have to be some type of mitigation to reduce the significant risk at that intersection now that the expansion project is nearly complete.