Praji Ghosh
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph just got a boost to make walking and biking a little safer. Thanks to more than $250,000 in federal funding, a new initiative called Safe Crossings of St. Joseph is set to begin taking shape.
The money comes from the Transportation Alternatives Program, run through MoDOT, which supports projects designed to improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
In St. Joseph’s case, the focus is on making it easier—and safer—for people on foot to get across busy streets.
Transportation Planner Max Scheiber explained, the project will begin with upgrades at Krug Park and Hyde Park. The plan includes installing rectangular rapid flashing beacons, as well as a pedestrian hybrid beacon at Spring Garden Road. These devices are designed to catch drivers’ attention when someone needs to cross.
“It will basically be a button that pedestrians can press to alert drivers that they’re trying to cross the road. Right now, the crossing system is based on a wire; we are planning to change that with a button,” Scheiber said.
Before any construction can begin, though, there are several steps left. The city needs to finalize a contract with MoDOT, get approval from the city council and then put the project out for bid. Scheiber said those conversations with council members are critical for moving the funding forward and officially launching the effort.
This push for safer crossings ties into a bigger conversation happening citywide. Earlier this year, transportation planner Jackson Lohman helped organize an open house for the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Residents made it clear they want more done to protect pedestrians.
“I think it’s significant because it initiates an effort to make foot travel safer in the St. Joseph community, and there’s a lot of areas of concern, specifically with pedestrian traffic that are highly trafficked via foot,” Lohman said.
Lohman pointed out Krug Park as one area where changes will be especially visible. Alongside the beacon upgrades, the park is slated for $12.8 million in renovations. Plans call for adding new sidewalks that better connect the park to surrounding streets and a splash pad where the pool once stood.
The hope is that by layering these improvements—better crossings, safer walkways and updated park facilities—residents will feel more confident walking and enjoying community spaces.
“We hope that these systems really produce results in terms of getting drivers who yield for people crossing the street so that we can implement more of them for the people in the city,” Lohman said.
Lohman admitted the process won’t be without challenges. Changing driver behavior is never easy, and the city may face hurdles in getting motorists to consistently yield. He said the department is committed to pairing the new infrastructure with education efforts to help smooth the transition.
After speaking with the St. Joseph Police Department, Sgt. Patrick Zeamer said, once the project is approved, its main focus will be on enforcing the rules around those new crossings — and making sure the community understands how to use them safely.
“If people are violating those areas, it would be stopping them, giving warnings or ticketing for those violations,” said Zeamer. “If an accident was to occur, there will be charges imposed on the individual that could be considered criminal.”
Zeamer also reminded folks to be extra cautious in those areas, especially while work is still underway.
He said people should avoid crossing behind parked cars and try to stay as visible as possible — that means avoiding dark clothes and staying out of those zones at night whenever possible.
“The cars are getting bigger and they’re going faster and doing more damage per se, to the pedestrian, causing more injuries. So we are just trying to make it safer for the general public and giving them more areas to cross as safely as possible,” Zeamer said.
Zeamer said the intersections involved in the city-wide project are considered pretty dangerous and high-risk.
The grant will add a new Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at St. Joseph Avenue at Krug Park/Parkway Trail and at Hyde Park Avenue near Hyde Park and Benton High School. It will also replace an outdated pedestrian signal with a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) at Spring Garden Middle School.
The project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.
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