The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is advancing its plan to enhance safety on a busy stretch of Manchester Road in Ballwin following a comprehensive road safety audit that uncovered hundreds of crashes, pedestrian hazards and accessibility issues throughout the corridor.
(Laura Brown photo)
As part of the early planning phases for an upcoming resurfacing initiative, MoDOT performed a Road Safety Audit on a 0.61-mile segment of Manchester Road spanning from New Ballwin Road to Holloway Road. The audit documented 658 crashes across the corridor between 2015 and 2024, with most incidents involving rear-end and turning collisions. While pedestrian crashes occurred less frequently, they proved to be among the most severe, with one fatal crash and two disabling injury crashes recorded during the study period. An additional pedestrian fatality happened in 2025 outside the study window. MoDOT Area Engineer Ryan Pearcy noted that the agency incorporated the 2025 fatality into corridor discussions due to its connection to broader safety issues.
“There is a growing concern with the amount of aggressive driving, speeding and noncompliance issues with all our users on the roadway,” Pearcy said. “We continue to work on what sort of safety guidelines, designs and practical capabilities we can utilize on our roadways so everybody can utilize the roadway safer.”
Pearcy explained that driver inattention and noncompliance are significant contributors to incidents MoDOT encounters throughout the St. Louis region. The audit identified that the stretch between Coral Terrace Drive and Steamboat Lane experienced the highest pedestrian crash rate, with two severe crashes occurring at the pedestrian crossing adjacent to Old Ballwin Road.
(Laura Brown photo)
Authorities noted that the crossing has been in place since approximately 2000 and continues to see heavy pedestrian traffic from those traveling between New Ballwin Road and Holloway Road.
For Ballwin alderman Tequila Gray (Ward 2), improving safety along Manchester Road represents a key priority and a campaign commitment she made during her successful election bid last year. Gray explained that she spent considerable effort contacting MoDOT officials to secure safety enhancements along the roadway.
“Starting (last) June I had been trying to go places that I knew a MoDOT representative would be,” Gray said. “Then I started calling, leaving voicemails every week, sending emails every other week to try to get someone to respond to me.”
(Laura Brown photo)
Gray identified the crosswalk near Old Ballwin Road and Steamboat Lane, situated between two car dealerships, as the primary concern. This location serves as the only designated pedestrian crossing between New Ballwin Road and Holloway Road.
“That crosswalk served the purpose that it was put there for back then,” Gray said. “But because Ballwin has grown, and the traffic on Manchester has multiplied substantially, it is no longer serving its purpose.”
According to Gray, the crossing has been the location of numerous collisions and near misses involving pedestrians.
During the audit, Gray and other city officials joined Pearcy on a walking inspection of the corridor. Together they identified fading striping, inadequate crossing time at the crosswalk, obscured signage, overgrown vegetation and poor lighting conditions near the crossing.
“It was very beneficial to be on site with the engineers from MoDOT,” Gray said. “Once we were able to walk it with them, we were able to show them what we were talking about.”
A number of immediate improvements have already been completed at the crosswalk.
(Laura Brown photo)
Pearcy indicated that MoDOT has already extended the flashing duration on the rectangular rapid flashing beacon, providing pedestrians with additional time to cross safely while the lights are activated.
“It does seem to take a little additional time for vehicles to actually determine that the flashing lights are going off and they need to stop,” Pearcy said.
Gray reported that the timing change has already produced visible improvements for pedestrians crossing Manchester Road at this location. MoDOT teams have also restored pavement striping and refreshed crosswalk markings. Pearcy stated that additional warning flashers and updated signage are scheduled to be installed within the next few weeks.
Gray is advocating for more substantial enhancements down the road, particularly replacing the current flashing yellow beacon with a pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB). Pearcy indicated that comprehensive upgrades to the crosswalk are planned as part of a resurfacing project targeted for fiscal year 2029. The PHB system would operate similarly to a traffic signal and aims to enhance driver compliance at pedestrian crossings.
“We want a crosswalk where it’s not a flashing yellow because that flashing yellow blends in,” Gray said. “Honestly, when people see a flashing yellow light, they’re speeding up to get through it when they should be stopped.”
According to the audit results, the planned resurfacing project is expected to incorporate upgraded crosswalk lighting, transit stop improvements, additional ADA sidewalk enhancements, median redesigns to limit turning conflicts, pedestrian refuge areas and driveway consolidation throughout the corridor.
Additionally, MoDOT intends to perform a speed study of the roadway to evaluate whether a speed limit reduction to 35 mph would be appropriate, Pearcy stated. Such a change would require a formal speed study and authorization from MoDOT’s central office.
Gray emphasized that speeding remains one of the community’s foremost safety concerns along Manchester Road.
“People treat Manchester Road like a highway,” Gray said. “You have this stretch of street with all these retail shops, all of these cars turning in and out of these lots. We can’t have it treated as a highway because that’s how more accidents happen.”
Although Manchester Road is under MoDOT’s jurisdiction, Gray emphasized that drivers must also contribute to roadway safety.
“Our drivers have to take responsibility for their part as well,” Gray said. “They have to be defensive drivers and be on the lookout for the people crossing because we have a lot of runners, we have kids. We have elderly people. Be mindful of the area you’re in.”
