KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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A deadly crash in Cass County over the weekend sparked another renewed push for roadway improvements along I-49.
KSHB 41 has continued to cover traffic concerns and project improvements along the stretch of highway.
Back in December, Cass County Reporter asked State Rep. Sherri Gallick (R - Belton) about funding for an expansion project to Harrisonville.
"Next year and the next three years are going to be very tight on the budget," Rep. Gallick explained. "Just knowing, working with MoDOT on some different projects, they really do try to stick to their timeline. So I am not saying never... I do know that it is an issue because starting around 3:30, it's a backup."
The back-up isn't the concern in this story—it's wrong-way drivers and the stretch of I-49 between Belton-Raymore and Harrisonville.
"Unfortunately, they both swerved in the same direction, so the impact was very severe," Deana Cornett-Fuller told KSHB 41 on Thursday.
Her son Noah, a track athlete at Concordia University in Nebraska, was traveling with three friends on the way home from a spring break trip to Florida. She isn't from Kansas City, but is here from California as her son is in the hospital, getting treatment for a brain injury.
The group of boys was on the final leg of the trip home to Nebraska, after buying gas and snacks in Harrisonville.
Cornett-Fuller explained that the boys entered northbound I-49 and were accelerating to the speed limit when a wrong-way driver heading south in the northbound lanes struck their car.
She said one of the occupants of the car that did not lose consciousness was able to rescue the others from the car before it was completely engulfed in flames.
"It's a miracle he [Noah] is alive," she said.
The driver, Noah's friend and track athlete, died in the accident. Noah was taken to Research Medical Center along with the two other occupants who suffered minor injuries.
The driver who struck the vehicle suffered serious injuries and is also being treated at an area hospital.
This is the first time in the past year that a wrong-way driver has caused issues on this portion of the highway. Two people were killed in a fiery crash back in October.
"As I was flying here, I was just praying the whole time that he would make it, and he did, he made it through surgery, and the surgery was successful," Cornett-Fuller said. "God never forsakes us, but Matthew is in the arms of his loving savior."
Cornett-Fuller agreed to sit down with KSHB 41 News Cass County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, following an outpouring of community support, and a lot of comments about the dangers of I-49 in Cass County.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the online traffic report data shows that in the past year, 10 people have died in car accidents in Cass County, and 30 people suffered serious injuries. Five of those deaths occurred on I-49, and nine people have been seriously injured.
"Hearing you say that and some of the things I’ve heard on social media, about locals chatting about I-49, is insane. They need to do something about that. All the different things people are saying, it sounds like something should’ve been done a long time ago if they knew it was such a dangerous highway," Cornett-Fuller said.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is currently drafting plans to expand the highway from Grandview to the US-58 highway bridge connecting Belton and Raymore. The project is estimated to cost $80 million.
Following our previous coverage, Belton Mayor Norman Larkey asked Gamboa to share an update on upcoming local projects.
"They’re going to totally redo this bridge, this bridge is original from when they did 71 hwy back in the 60s," Larkey told KSHB 41. "We’re going to totally take this bridge out to make it wider, bigger, stronger. You’ll see different exits and different exit ramps, trying to keep traffic from crossing 58 highway."
Larkey explained that eliminating cross traffic would decrease the number of wrecks at the bridge intersection. Once construction begins, it will be out of commission for up to five months. The city is already working on repairing other roadways for detoured traffic to navigate.
Additionally, the project will add a lane to I-49 upon completion and will also add an exit lane between 163rd and US-58, so a driver won't need to enter the flow of traffic if they are only traveling up one exit.
"If we can get it three lanes all the way past this bridge here, I think it will drastically help safety," Larkey said. "Five to 10 years ago, the traffic we were seeing was just a Friday night during the summer problem, with everyone going to the lake. Now it's just an everyday problem."
Drivers in the area notice the traffic impacts and frequently take side streets to avoid I-49, including Bryce Beilman.
"Me going to Peculiar, I will always take the side roads," he said. "I heard forever it was going to be three lanes all the way to Harrisonville, but that never happened."
Larkey said that's true. But MoDOT's traffic studies aren't showing high enough numbers for an expansion of the highway further south.
"They say a majority of the traffic during rush hour gets off at 155th, 163rd and off at 58," Larkey explained. "I know a lot of people want to see these three lanes all the way through past Harrisonville, which it probably needs, but MoDOT says the numbers don’t warrant that type of highway yet, but for safety, I think they need to look at it."
A MoDOT spokesperson did not answer KSHB 41's questions directly about why I-49 wasn't being considered for an expansion further south.
"MoDOT works with planning organizations across the state to prioritize projects on state roadways and develop the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The STIP, prepared annually, sets forth the specific construction projects MoDOT will undertake in the next five years. It covers highways and bridges, transit, aviation, rail, waterways, bicycle, pedestrian, and operations and maintenance projects," a MoDOT spokesperson wrote in an email. "The planning organization for Cass County is the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). We encourage communities to work with their local planning organizations to prioritize projects in their communities."
KSHB 41 also asked questions surrounding I-49 funding, safety, traffic, and potential for an early start date on the project. MoDOT deferred KSHB 41 to the Missouri State Highway, but offered a brief statement.
"Drivers can do their part by practicing safe driving habits, buckling up, putting their phone down, staying alert, and planning their route ahead of time. MoDOT Highway and Traffic Safety, the Missouri Coalition of Roadway Safety, and local coalitions are dedicated to promoting the role we all play in roadway safety," the spokesperson wrote.
But Cornett-Fuller is joining locals, sharing her voice and asking for someone to listen to address safety on this roadway.
"I would say life is precious and irreplaceable, so please do something right away. Please do something, whatever you can do, please do that<" she said with her tears in her eyes. "If there’s anything that can be done to make this highway safer, that’s why I am here talking to you. I would hate to see another group of boys go through this life-shattering experience."
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