City Council looks at north-south corridor

Springfield City Council Feb. 21 heard first reading of a bill that would gather funds for a north-south corridor study. The purpose of the study is to determine the best method for expanding the connection between Greene and Christian counties.

Money for the study was earmarked in the recently passed federal transportation bill, but the bill requires a 20 percent local match to receive those funds.

That means that $50,000 of the $250,000 requested for this phase of the study would have to come from Springfield and the other local jurisdictions that are members of the Ozarks Transportation Organization, which requested the study.

OTO Executive Director Dan Rudge said the study will look at four major possibilities: an extension of West Bypass to the south, an extension of Kansas Expressway south of Republic Road, widening of Campbell Avenue and an extension of National Avenue.

“There’s no question that we need all four of these corridors,” Rudge said. “The question is, which do we need to do first?”

Rudge added that Phase I of the study, which will look at which extension would do the best job of moving traffic with the least impact on connecting and neighboring streets, would begin in April and be complete by August.

The council is expected to vote on the bill at its March 6 meeting.

See SBJ’s Feb. 27 issue for more coverage of the Feb. 21 City Council meeting.