BELTON, Mo. — A new median is causing a lot of confusion and damage in one Cass County community.
Drivers of nearly a dozen cars reported striking it after dark on a poorly lit stretch of 58 Highway through a commercial stretch of Belton and popping tires this weekend in Belton. But NewsNation affiliate WDAF is finding that number might actually be much higher.
Two cones now sit in front of the median. But they weren't this weekend. A city official tells WDAFthey were moved somehow. With no striping or signs either, it certainly caught people off guard.
Belton residents will tell you traffic has been a nightmare with construction projects going on since this summer on MO-58, E. 173rd and Cunningham.
"It's been a huge headache, a dive to my business, people not wanting to get around, traffic backed up forever," said Michael Fenwick, a manager of a business who suffered a flat tire earlier from road debris in the construction zone.
Construction on 58 is designed to improve the situation, including new turn lanes and medians.
"Really the medians are to facilitate traffic through there, to try to reduce congestion where they need to go quicker," Belton Asst. City Manager Mike Ekey said.
But this weekend, especially Sunday night, there was a big issue with a median near the Salvation Army and Discount Tire.
"Unbeknownst to me, there was now a concrete median in the street and really the lane just guided you right into it. I was just driving, going about my business all of a sudden—thunk—blew out my tire," Gage Roe said.
"Cars on that side, cars coming toward you and all of a sudden here you are, and this thing is sitting there, right in front of you. So I hit and it blew," Diana Covey said.
And they weren't the only ones. FOX4 spoke to a mom on her way home from the hospital who hit the median, and one woman who was on the way to help a family member who had struck it and ended up hitting it herself.
Victims awaiting rides or tows couldn't believe their eyes.
"We were there maybe 10 minutes and I saw at least 5 other people smack into it and several people pulled in near me," Roe said.
"It sits out into the path of where you are going. It's not even out of the way so I'm not surprised so many people were hitting it," said Covey, who reports striking the median Saturday night.
None of the people FOX4 spoke with had contacted the city, but nearly a dozen drivers have.
"Our best guess right now is another vehicle had driven through there and hit the cones and moved them or someone had gone in and moved the cones themselves and created a driving lane that shouldn't have been there," Ekey said.
Belton is directing people to the contractor who issued a statement saying:
"Superior Bowen has been made aware of a small number of claims and is actively working with the individuals involved to address their concerns and resolve the matter promptly. Ensuring the safety of the traveling public and our employees is always our top priority."
According to MODOT, who is sharing the cost of the project with Belton, the finished project calls for lighting and the median to be painted yellow to help alert drivers. Ekey said they hope construction will be complete sometime next week.