Troy officials vote to commit funds to extend Troy-O’Fallon shared-use path
By Charles Bolinger
Editor • Troy council members voted 7-0 on Jan. 20 to commit $410,000 to use with a surface transportation program-suburban (STP-S) grant to extend the shared-use path down Troy-O’Fallon Road. Councilwoman Debbie Knoll was absent.
The estimated total project cost is $1.4 million with the final amount to be determined during grant preparation.
Currently, the eight-foot-wide shared-use path runs south from its start/end at US 40 and Troy-O’Fallon Road, following the west side of the street and ending/starting at Turtle Creek. These funds, if received, would allow city officials to extend the concrete path to Fairoaks Drive/Meadowbrooke Drive, with a mid-block pedestrian crossing for the folks who live in the Fairoaks Subdivision.
“We’re going to turn in two STP applications this year, with Bouse Road being the other one,” said City Engineer Tom Cissell. “This is the other one. Troy-O’Fallon Sidewalk extension Phase 2.
“Madison County is on board with this; I’ve got a resolution of support on the agenda today but if both projects are within the scoring level, we’ll only get one approved. We chose to turn in two this year because Bouse Road has missed the last couple of years, so we want to make sure we get some project approved.”
Cissell said the same path would follow the west side of Troy-O’Fallon Road to Country Lane, with another pedestrian crossing there and the path would extend eastward to Bridgehampton Road, in the Hampton Glen Subdivision.
On the north side of US 40, the path connects with the park ‘n ride lot and the Silver Creek Trail, which was recently extended 3,000 feet east to C.A. Henning Elementary School. Future eastward extensions are planned to Triad High School and beyond. The eventual goal is to extend Silver Creek Trail as far east as Highland, where it would connect to that city’s trail system.
Just before the vote, a resident of Fairoaks Subdivision had questions for the city staff. He said he lives in one of the houses at the entrance to the development, complete with a monument sign in his yard.
“I’ve not seen any of the engineering designs for this, however, I know, on either side of the road where this sidewalk was put in, 1) there’ll be a lot of land movement and there have been drainage issues that’s gone one and 2) if it extends past Fair Oaks and Meadowbrook, it’ll take out the entrance sign for one of the two subdivisions.
“The one for Fair Oaks is on my property and would have to be approved by us and the Fairoaks Homeowners’ Association, so is it possible to get a copy of all the engineering documents for this?”
Cissell responded that this is a grant application and as such, the engineering work has not been done. He told the man that the extension, if done, would run down the west side of Troy-O’Fallon, on the Meadowbrooke side.
The resident also complained about speeding drivers on Troy-O’Fallon Road and cited instances of a vehicle hitting the home across the street, another one cutting through his yard and he said he has counted almost 20 accidents at Troy-O’Fallon/Fairoaks-Meadowbrooke intersection since he and his family have owned the home.
Cissell said he has done a traffic study in that area and it reflected that people tend to drive an average of five miles per hour faster. He also reminded the resident that the county owns Troy-O’Fallon Road, not Troy. Police Chief Chris Wasser added that his officers patrol that area daily and that he has multiple officers who live in the vicinity.
The next Troy City Council meeting is Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at city hall, 116 E. Market St.
