City Beat: $3.3M West Wye project to be completed in weeks

The West Wye project in northwest Springfield is becoming a quick reality a decade after a study identified a need for the new connection track.

At the April 4 Springfield City Council meeting, council unanimously approved a bill transferring 2.6 acres at Nichols Junction to BNSF Railway Co. in exchange for the wye, a triangle of railroad used as a turnaround point for trains.

The project is designed to cut travel times of coal trains en route to City Utilities’ John Twitty Energy Center in southwest Springfield and to keep trains from entering the heart of the city, which can back up traffic and pose a safety hazard. Currently, coal trains must travel to the main rail yard near West Division Street and Kansas Expressway to be redirected to the power plant.  

Sarah Kerner, Springfield’s interim economic development director, said nearly 60 times a day trains move past where the wye would be located north of Chestnut Expressway and east of Interstate 44. While much of that traffic isn’t headed for the power plant, she said the West Wye project targeting a finish in early May should reduce activity by about 30 percent.

“It will vary based on seasonal demand and customer needs,” Kerner said.

In exchange for the property, BNSF would give the city an estimated $752,000 credit toward future land purchases or construction work from the rail company. The credit would be roughly equal to the city’s expenditures for the purchase of the property value and the wye’s construction. Last year, the city entered into a construction agreement with BNSF to install the track and signage, according to SpringfieldMo.gov.

Federal funds of $2.4 million are covering the bulk of the project, with the state chipping in $150,000.

Kerner said BNSF expects to begin laying track for the line April 18 and wrap up in two weeks.

Mayor Bob Stephens said the last piece of the wye puzzle was a long time coming.

“We’ve been talking about the West Wye since I got elected in 2009, and it is very nice to see it getting to the end days of the project,” he said.

In 2006, the city commissioned the Railroad Reconfiguration and Grade Separation Study to determine how best to increase the available space in the West Meadows area off of downtown and provide an alternate route for coal delivery.

According to the bill, key project goals include freeing up space in the main yard for storage currently in the West Meadows and enabling the future removal of track from within the western portion of the area.

Kerner said the project indirectly supports economic development in the city.

“The long-term plan for West Meadows is to open it up to be a more park-like area, available for recreational activities. We believe, generally, you are setting the stage for economic development when you’re removing impediments – things like sitting and waiting for trains to go by when you’re driving through town,” she said. “Anything we can do to improve and clean up that area west of downtown to make it more attractive to business is beneficial.”

Blight approved
Council members narrowly approved a blight designation for a property slated to be torn down along the east side of South Market Avenue between West Mount Vernon and West Harrison streets. The 5-4 vote sided with a recommendation from city staff and went against the suggested denial from the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority.

In December, applicant WPV LLC acquired the 0.2-acre parcel at 616 S. Market Ave. for redevelopment as low-density multifamily residential use, according to the bill. The property is home to a dilapidated three-unit apartment building originally built in 1888 as a single-family residence. It has a history of code violations and nuisance complaints, said Springfield Planning and Development Director Mary Lilly Smith, who introduced  the blight request to council March 21. With owners unresponsive to code violations such as broken windows and doors, vermin, trash, overgrown weeds and squatters on-site, the property was scheduled for demolition at the owner’s expense by May 3.  

At the city’s public hearing, Springfield attorney Shawn Whitney of Spencer Fane LLP said his client, WPV, hadn’t finalized redevelopment plans for the property and sought the blight designation based on the property’s current condition. He suspected the LCRA recommended denial based on the presumption the building would be demolished.

Whitney advocated the blight designation should be based on the property’s current condition, which meets the state’s blight criteria.

Council members Phyllis Ferguson, Craig Fishel, Craig Hosmer and Mike Schilling voted against the designation.

“It just seems so unfair for the taxpayer to have to pick up the tab behind somebody who has neglected to take care of things,” Schilling said.

Smith said the developer would need to submit its redevelopment plan for council approval before property-tax abatement on improvements could be secured.