Gabe Stark
Reporter

The City of Trenton weighed two designs for a new sidewalk crossing near Oklahoma Avenue as it works to give students from the Lord Street housing area a safer route to school.

Josh Lambeth of Howe Company presented the options at a public meeting Monday, Sept. 28, and discussed the project with the City Council that evening. The project would add a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the south side of 16th Street, extending from the Oklahoma Avenue school crossing toward Lord Street. There is no sidewalk along that stretch now.

The original design follows the path pedestrians currently take, with one crossing straight across near the school. A crossing guard already works there during school arrival and dismissal.

An alternative would curve the sidewalk around the corner, cross Oklahoma Avenue at a right angle and then cross the school’s driveway. It would shift the crossing on Oklahoma Avenue and require pedestrians to use two crossings instead of one. Lambeth said that design would shorten the distance spent crossing Oklahoma Avenue, while the original design would preserve the route students and drivers already know.

Both designs include marked crossings, pavement yield markings and signs telling drivers to yield to pedestrians. The city sought public feedback on the options before choosing a final design.

Lambeth told the council a crossing guard would still be desirable during school arrival and dismissal after the sidewalk is built. Officials also discussed getting a price for pedestrian-activated flashing beacons. The beacons are not part of the current project.

The sidewalk is intended to serve children walking from the Lord Street housing area. Lambeth said the route was proposed because children walk beside traffic on 16th Street, which also carries heavy trucks during the city’s asphalt season.

The project received funding through the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program in late 2025. The program covers 80% of eligible costs, with the city responsible for a 20% match. The application estimated construction at $304,000, which would put the city’s share of that estimate at about $60,800. Lambeth said the city would be responsible for costs beyond the amount covered by the award.

The project is entering the permitting phase and will undergo a cultural resources survey. Lambeth said the goal is to submit final plans, specifications and an estimate to MoDOT by mid-to-late summer 2027, barring major changes. The city hopes to have the sidewalk ready for the 2027-28 school year.