Four west St. Louis County municipalities have agreed to turn over control of Clayton and Ladue roads to St. Louis County so the county can begin more than $1 million in traffic changes to prepare for the shutdown of sections of Highway 40.

The four municipalities are Frontenac, Creve Coeur, Ladue and Town and Country.

"This is one of the biggest issues to face Town and Country in a long time," said John Copeland, the city's administrator. He said the city had received reassurances from county Highway Director Garry Earls that Clayton Road would not be widened.

The county is preparing for a surge of tens of thousands of extra vehicles a day on the roads during the massive reconstruction of Highway 40 (Interstate 64), ending in 2009.

Under the agreement, the county will be responsible for control and maintenance of the roads during that period, and it will return them to the municipalities afterward. The roads now are under a patchwork of control — municipal for one stretch, county for another.

The county will replace stop signs with traffic signals in some spots and add turn lanes when there is sufficient pavement.

"As it stands now, every car that goes through an intersection with a two-way stop sign has to stop," said David Wrone, a spokesman for the county Department of Highways and Traffic.

"We have to do everything we can so the congestion is endurable."

The county will begin the improvements as soon as possible after April 1.

The county work on Clayton Road is estimated at $935,000 and on Ladue at $170,000, Wrone said. In addition, the county will install a $140,000 traffic light to replace stop signs at McKnight and Litzsinger roads. The county will pay for all the traffic changes and maintenance.

Copeland said Town and Country had wanted assurances that Clayton Road would not be widened.

Robert Shelton, administrator for Frontenac, said that municipality also wanted confirmation that no residents' properties or businesses would be taken.

Wrone said no new pavement would be added. "We won't chew up sidewalks or front yards or businesses,'' he said.

mgillerman@post-dispatch.com | 314-725-6758