MoDOT study at Highways 160, 5 North determined traffic light not warranted

A recent non-injury crash at Highways 160/5 north in Gainesville reignited an online discussion that has been brought up over the years about whether or not the intersection, which has been the location of several crashes, could benefit from a traffic light.

Currently, traffic on Highway 160, which stretches east and west from Gainesville, does not stop or yield to any other motorists in that location. Drivers traveling down Highway 5 North meet a stop sign at the intersection, which also has a red blinking  caution light. Some locals have argued that drivers may think the location is a four-way stop, which could account for some of the crashes. 

Several people expressed concern to MoDOT about the intersection’s safety following a four-vehicle crash that involved two semi trucks May 31, 2024. In that instance, a woman was traveling down Highway 5, failed to yield to the traffic on Highway 160 and pulled out onto the highway in front of a westbound Dollar General merchandise-hauling semi truck, which jack-knifed and struck another semi truck - and that truck was pushed backward into another passenger vehicle. The woman who failed to yield sustained injuries in the crash and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

The Times reached out to Missouri Department of Transportation Traffic Studies Specialist Jonathan M. Smith, who helped conduct a traffic study in that location last summer after the concerns were brought up. 

“Several factors were taken into consideration, and we determined that this intersection does not warrant a traffic signal,” Smith said. “After reviewing the history of the intersection, doing a statistical analysis of the area’s traffic and speaking with community members, we determined that the correct action at that time was to install “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” plaques to the stop signs facing MO 5 and County Road 503.”

Although the stretch of Highway 160 is within the Gainesville city limits, the highway is a state highway and governed by the Missouri Department of Transportation. Some have reached out to the City of Gainesville about the highway, but officials with the city say, that as they understand it, the city has no ability to make decisions concerning the state highway.