Now it's about to get upgrades and repairs designed to improve safety. A $500,000 loan from the City of Columbia is paving the way. The bumps on Highway 63 are what the city wants to get rid of by early next year.

Upgrades at the Colt Railroad in Columbia will improve the railroad surface, but it won't solve all the safety issues.

Buses and trucks are required by state law to stop at every railroad crossing regardless if there is a train coming or not. However, the highway commission ordered last April that all trucks and buses be exempt from stopping at the railroad crossing on US 63. That's because rear-end accidents were becoming all too common.

Accidents on US 63 have claimed two lives and left others injured.

"Even though vehicles are not required to stop, some of them still do," said Christian Johanningmeier of Columbia Water & Light

And with cars whipping by at 70 miles per hour or more, the city wants a more permanent solution, specifically a railroad overpass.

"The bridge is the ultimate solution," said Johanningmeier

But this ultimate solution has a $6 million price tag.

"We know that the crossing is a rough crossing, but it's the railroads responsibility, and i think everyone agrees that the best solution is the bridge, but of course, it's always going to be the money," said Rod Massman, MoDOT Administrator of Railroads.

Money that may lie further down the road.

MoDOT and the City of Columbia are talking about sharing the costs of building a bridge. But right now, MoDOT says the city doesn't have enough money to pay for its half of the project.