The opening of the Route 54 Express way last fall was met with accolades from state and local officials. But soon after, the grumbling of moaning motorists overshadowed the celebration.
Swelling to more than 50,000 vehicles on a single summer day, old Hwy 54 could be a hot mess. A bypass to divert the flow of traffic seemed to be the perfect fix.
Some say a little too perfect.
“Cars you to be backed up at the stop light,” Lake Galleon owner, Dave Kottman, said from his store location at Business 54 and Passover Road. “We don’t see too many cars at all now.”
While drivers struggle to navigate the new traffic patterns, Lake Area businesses struggle for ways to lure them off the expressway and into their front doors.
“I’m a marketing major from Missouri, so I’m going to try to figure it out,
Kottman said. “How do I best spend my dollars on advertising to get the consumer here to buy products?”
Several interchanges provide access to old Route 54.
Bagnell Dam Blvd. is the first exit after crossing the Osage River Bridge from the East. It provides quick access to Prewitt’s Point Shopping Center, Stonecrest Mall, Lake Ozark and the Horsehoe Bend Parkway.
Routete 42 or Osage Beach Parkway provides easy access to Walmart and the Osage Beach Outlet Mall.
The Passover Road interchange is your last stop before crossing the Grand Glaize Bridge.
Continuing over the bridge will have you on your way through Osage Beach to Camdenton.
Mark Barrett is co-owner of several Osage Beach businesses including Wobbly Boots Roadhouse, Dog Days Bar and Grill and Shorty Pants Lounge. Each of the businesses is located through out various phases of the bypass construction. He believes communication will go a long way to easing travel tensions.
“Locations have changed tremendously,” Barrett said. “We definitely want to give the correct exits and include the directions in our advertising a lot more so than we use to.”
Lake business owners hope that with a little practice the new expressway will mean more gain than pain.
“We hate to lose people that aren’t going to drive through Osage Beach anymore,” Barrett said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to reroute other people and make it easier to get in and out businesses.”
In the meantime, you might want to pack a little patience with your suntan lotion when you visit the lake.
“Take your time and don’t get stressed out,” Barrett said. “And bring your sense of humor.”
The Lake Area chamber is helping get the message out with maps available at local businesses. Locations sketches can be found on the Missouri Department of Transportation Web site at http://www.modot.mo.gov/central/major_projects/camden.htm. Traffic models can be found online at http://www.modot.mo.gov/central/major_projects/Route54ExpresswayTrafficModels.htm.
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