HERMANN – The 2027 list of Gasconade County’s alternative transportation needs has been expanded to include a crosswalk on Highway 50 at the Rosebud Lutheran school.

Consideration of projects for the county’s Multimodal Needs List was given Thursday morning during the County Commission’s annual meeting with regional planning agency and Missouri Department of Transportation representatives and officials of some of the county’s municipalities.

Also added to the list is a proposal for additional signs at highways Y and 28 regarding the Rock Island Trail.

The multimodal list includes transit projects other than road and bridge items. For instance, the list contains improvements at the Hermann Municipal Airport and improvements such as additional stops by Amtrak and increasing public transportation services.

Public transportation now is provided by OATS Transit with regular routes throughout the county. Michael Burbank, Mid-Missouri regional director for OATS, said during the meeting that more service could be provided if additional drivers could be recruited. Burbank said efforts are being made to find additional drivers. Starting pay for drivers is $17 an hour.

“We have the buses. I want to fill the buses,” Burbank said.

Southern District Associate Commissioner Ron Hardecke, R-Owensville, lobbied to have the Rosebud Lutheran school crosswalk added to the list. The list also includes additional notice for motorists approaching the existing crosswalk in Rosebud.

Also on the list of about 20 projects is a joint effort by the City of Hermann and MoDOT to make sidewalk repairs and shore up the bank of Frene Creek as it runs under Highway 100 East near Hermannhoff Garden. The project also would involve improvements to the approach to the pedestrian bridge at the site.

For Bland residents, the list contains a proposal for pedestrian facilities such as sidewalks to connect residential areas to the north side of Bland. The connection would be from Whispering Oaks subdivision on Highway B to Pleasant Avenue in Bland. Engineers are recommending a pedestrian crosswalk on Highway 28 to improve safety.

In Hermann, the list includes additional sidewalks to connect the Gasconade County R-1 schools to the downtown area and the Scenic Regional Library branch, including a pedestrian crossing on Highway 100 west of the Frene Creek bridge. The engineers’ comment says a sidewalk is needed from the library to the R-1 campus and a pedestrian crosswalk should be placed on Highway 19.

Regarding the Hermann Municipal Airport upgrades, which include a new hangar with at least 10 spaces, runway repairs and another gas pump, City Administrator Patricia Heaney reported that the city is beginning to make repairs to the runway.

The list also continues to include a proposal for additional sidewalks inside the Owensville city limits to connect the downtown to other areas.

The list of Multimodal Transportation Needs will be considered in December during a Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) session. That panel will consider the Gasconade County list along with the lists of the other seven Meramec Region counties. The TAC will make a recommendation on an overall list to the Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s Board of Directors, which will present a final list of regional projects to the state transportation agency.