Politics & Government
Lot Used by Eureka Commuters Closed by MoDOT
Located on Thresher Drive, it's closure came as a surprise to some drivers, who had long used it as overflow when the official lot was full.
Some Eureka commuters received a surprise last Friday when they went to park in a lot in near the city’s downtown only to find it barricaded and closed.
The problem? The Thresher Drive parking lot, south of the city’s Post Office and across from Rockwood Bank, may be owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation, but it has never been an official commuter lot.
MoDOT Engineer Michelle Voegele called the idea that the area is a maintained as a commuter lot a “misconception,” although she acknowledged that it may have been used that way for “quite some time.”
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Voegele said the agency took action this week after discovering that some unknown person has actively been expanding the lot by dumping sand and gravel and performing grading work.
“It’s really a safety concern,” she said, adding that there really isn’t even an actual driveway or access point for the lot.
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The official MoDOT maintained commuter lot is located north of the Thresher Drive area, on E. Fourth Street by the I-44 interchange.
“Our lots are paved and fenced and there are only one or two entrances,” Voegele said.
However, it frequently fills up to capacity, causing the Thresher Drive area to be often used as an unofficial overflow spot. Voegele said she understands that their Eureka Commuter lot is “highly utilized.”
“We have looked at the existing lot to see if we can expand it, but there isn’t much additional right-of-way at that location to do so,” she said.
Voegele did say MoDOT would be willing to consider selling or vacating the land if an entity or the city of Eureka wanted to take it over, but for now drivers coming into Eureka can expect the Thresher drive lot to remain closed.
Eureka commuter Matthew Reed is part of a Ride Finders van pool that frequently uses the lot. Reed told Patch he hopes some kind of arrangement can be worked out that would upgrade the parking area and keep it open.
"I would like to see Eureka and MoDOT work together to build a lot there that can be shared," he said.
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