The Galloway Street widening project covers a band of roadway just north of Conco Companies’ Galloway Quarry. The project area measures about 0.8 mile between parts of the Galloway neighborhood near Sequiota Park and 4 By 4 Brewery. Then, the road stretches westward to Luster Avenue, connecting to the busy Glenstone-and-Republic Road area in southeast Springfield.
As nearby resident Charles Ewing recently told Ozarks Public Radio, many members of the Galloway Village Neighborhood Association are in favor of the street widening. The project’s many features include a new center turn lane; ample sidewalks and stormwater drainage; roundabouts to help with car traffic — and a price tag around $5 million.
"We're very happy with it," he said. "We love the idea of the roundabout."
The city says residents deem improvements to Galloway Street to be one of the very highest priority items, according to transportation surveys several years ago.
On Tuesday evening, Lisa Hutchison came to a meeting at All Saints Anglican Church, located right on the roadway. She’s a realtor who lives nearby. Like many residents of this historic area, Hutchison enjoys Galloway’s natural beauty and says the upgrades are welcome.
Hutchison said, “The center lane is needed for turning and that type of thing. And the road just needs work. There’s sides of it that have washed out and fallen out, and if you get off to the side, it’s bad.”
Construction is expected this summer.
