The Grant Avenue Parkway corridor improvement project has re-opened to two-way traffic between Grand and Walnut. The bulk of the work on the corridor is expected to be finished by the end of the month, according to city officials.
The $21 million project is funded primarily by a $21 million federal Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development or BUILD grant with a local match made up of about $4 million from City Utilities and $6 million from the 1/4-Cent Capital Improvement and 1/8-Cent Transportation sales taxes.
It covers a 3-mile stretch of Grant from Sunshine to downtown Springfield and includes multi-modal transportation upgrades. There’s a new multi-use trail on both sides of the roadway, intersection and signal improvements, pedestrian crossings and traffic-calming improvements. The project also included the undergrounding of utility lines, the renewal of gas and water lines, fiberoptic internet connectivity, landscaping and other placemaking improvements.
The city touted strengthened connections between Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, downtown, parks, neighborhoods and schools as part of why the project was needed. It said the new corridor also fills a key gap in the Ozark Greenways trail network.
The City’s Public Works Director Dan Smith said it’s the largest transportation improvement project his department has ever taken on.
"The Grant Avenue Parkway project is being completed within federal timeline requirements and coming in within the City’s total project budget of $31 Million," according to the City of Springfield in a press release.
A few things will be left to do in the new year.
“There are still a few to-do list items like grass growth, landscaping, final striping and cleanup we’ll be working on into the spring, but the project is nearing completion and we’re excited to have the full corridor open to the public,” said Public Works Project Manager Leree Reese in the statement.
