Work is getting underway this week on two segments of West 76 Country Boulevard in Branson.
The State Highway runs through the heart of the city and past some of its most iconic attractions. Ann McDowell communications and creative liaison for the 76 Entertainment Community Improvement District's board of directors, says the city has grown around 76, but in 2012, a strategic planning process looked at improving the road and better integrating it into the Branson experience.
"It needed infrastructure improvements in terms of water lines and water service," McDowell explained. "It was a state highway. It was never really intended to have pedestrian traffic and the kind of activity that it had, so sidewalks were inadequate, and really unsafe. And it was such an important part of the Branson economy or it had grown to be, had evolved to be, that they really wanted to focus on how do we, how do we make that improvement?"
The 76 ECID that McDowell helps represent was formed shortly after Branson began planning. The special district designation allows the 76 ECID to collect its own 1% sales tax to fund district improvements. She says it started with 35 properties from the Presley's Theatre to the Branson Ferris Wheel, now it is made up of 211 properties covering nearly 1,000 acres from Shepherd of the Hills to the Branson, Auto and Farm Museum.
The whole 76 ECID is divided into six segments. The initial members make up segment three. Businesses and the city got to work on that segment in 2017
"We ran into Covid, and we ran into a few other issues on that project," McDowell said. "But eventually in 2022 is when all the utilities went underground, which is an esthetic and a safety feature. All of those poles are off the street and out of the way, making room for safer sidewalks, better sidewalks, and just some landscaping and things that make the area much more hospitable to pedestrians and vehicles."
She said lessons learned from that project are guiding work now, focused on segments one and two, which run from Shepherd of the Hills Expressway eastward toward the Branson Ferris Wheel.
"We did a much more detailed, much more thorough design process for these next two segments. And really the feeling that we wanted to bring a little bit of the beauty of the Ozarks to 76. I think this design firm really got that message, and took that to heart"
Another takeaway from work on segment three. It went smoother than most people expected. It's something they hope to carry over into the work beginning this week. Construction is expected to go through Spring 2028. It is not something the city or its businesses take lightly.
"There will not be any business closures, shutdowns or need for that," McDowell said. "What happened with segment three really kind of surprised me to be honest. It was so much smoother, for business and for traffic flow than I ever expected it to be in that segment. And that segment is right in the middle of town." She explained the city will takes step to make sure everyone can navigate the construction, "we're very aggressive with signage and, caution and safety elements to make sure that the pedestrians that are not familiar with the territory at all, and the drivers all have well lit, well signed, easily understood ability to traverse through the area."
McDowell said the work will address safety, beauty and business success. It will improve infrastructure that most people don't see but is key to business development and redevelopment. It will make it safer for pedestrians to explore Branson, and it will give the whole area a chance for an aesthetic makeover that they hope leaves a strong impression on visitors.
As she put it: "concrete's not very pretty, but the Ozarks are. And when they come to the Ozarks, they want to see green and they want to at least feel a little bit of that nature that they're in the middle of.”
The $29.1 million project will largely be funded by the 76 ECID, it has also received funds from the city, MoDOT, and the Governor's Transportation Cost Share Program.