OSAGE COUNTY — The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission advanced its preferred west-side alignment for the U.S. Hwy 63 project in Osage County after hearing final public testimony, including extended remarks from Western District Commissioner Dale Logan. While highway commissioners emphasized that the vote authorizes only engineering work, not construction, Logan used his testimony to press for revisions that he said are necessary to protect Westphalia’s access, farmland, economy, and long-term viability.

Commissioners opened the meeting by acknowledging that public input over the past month, combined with a site tour hosted by local officials, had already prompted design adjustments. Several commissioners described seeing the corridor in person as a turning point that clarified local traffic movements, terrain, and community concerns. But the commission also stated that the purpose of the vote was limited: selecting the preferred alternative for engineering while directing Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) staff to give “heightened attention” to several issues raised in Osage County.

Logan began by thanking commissioners for traveling to the county and engaging directly with residents. His remarks described a changed perception of MoDOT’s willingness to listen and respond. “Thank you for taking the time to come down a couple weeks ago and see this project firsthand,” he said. “I know you guys enjoyed that tour. You asked some good questions. You participated. It was really refreshing to me, not just as a local county commissioner, but as a taxpayer. I really felt like you guys were listening to the concerns that I had.

“I’ve only been a commissioner for 11 months,” Logan continued. “In the first few months, I didn’t have a good feel for working with MoDOT … My attitude has changed a lot.”

That shift, he said, came from realizing that MoDOT staff “really don’t want to take someone’s property” and “don’t want to take someone’s home.” But Logan quickly followed with a request for deeper consideration, arguing that key elements of the design, especially at the south end, remain incompatible with how Westphalia functions day to day.

“The bridge on the south end — I just, I cannot disagree with how that’s being done enough,” Logan said. “Oh my gosh, it’s just not going to work right. I realize it looks great on the big screen, but it’s not practical for everyday use in our community.”

Logan framed the project’s impact as more than a transportation issue, describing both the pride residents take in their properties and the value of the agricultural land that would be taken. “I took you guys on a tour there of not just the project, but in our little town,” Logan said. “We never drove past one single property with trash and junk and all cluttered up. When we’re out on County Road 521, what we call Bluff Road, which is a big impact of this road — of this of this realignment — you never passed one single farm that was trashed out and junky and all crappy looking. We take pride in our community. So this project, it’s more than just a road to us. It’s a whole lot more than just a road to us.”

He pointed out that the alignment crosses five active farms, including two century farms, and emphasized what that loss means for families who have operated the same ground for generations. “This land means something to them, and I can’t express to you what that is, unless you live it yourself,” Logan said. “But that land means something. You can’t write those folks a big enough check to make up for them losing that century farmland.”

Logan urged the commission to consider an alternative approach: a three-lane improvement similar to the Highway 5 corridor. He argued that such a design would reduce farmland impacts, maintain traffic through Westphalia, and avoid the economic damage he believes the bypass will cause. “Why can’t we do that instead of this $100,000,000 project bypassing our beautiful little town, taking that tax base away from us from the through traffic,” he asked. “(We’re) going to lose the convenience store because they’re not going to have enough business to stay open; then, we don’t even have a gas station in our town.”

A major focus of his testimony involved the southern tie-in at the Maries River Bridge. Logan pressed for keeping the existing overflow bridge, adding a second bridge now rather than later, and ensuring a northbound right-only access into Westphalia. He said these changes would reduce long-term costs, improve operations in a floodplain area, and preserve safe school traffic movements in and out of town.

During questioning, commissioners pressed Logan on how his preferred layout would affect school traffic. Logan remained firm that students should be routed to turn right only, eliminating the hazardous left-turn movement onto what will become a higher-speed corridor.

Logan confirmed he would support making the county road one-way northbound if that is what is required to implement the right-in movement.

He closed by urging MoDOT and the commission to treat the project not simply as an infrastructure decision but as a choice about investing in the long-term health of Westphalia. “Our town matters,” he said. “We understand progress … but we need you guys to invest into our community, not just bypass it.”

Commissioners ultimately amended their motion to require additional engineering review of the southern design, including the bridge configuration and the possibility of a northbound right-only entrance into Westphalia — two issues raised repeatedly in Logan’s testimony.