YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
The city of Springfield yesterday outlined additional details of the multimillion-dollar Grant Avenue Parkway project.
Tim Rosenbury, the city’s director of quality of place initiatives, presented an update to Springfield City Council. Officials with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc., hired as consulting engineer last year for the project, were introduced to lay out funding and construction details.
"This is much, much more than a street project," Rosenbury said, pointing to economic development opportunities, transportation improvements, and quality of life and community revitalization plans. "It's a comprehensive, collaborative effort across several city departments."
Steve Prange, CMT's Springfield office leader, said the project's total funding is $26.2 million, comprising a $21 million federal grant announced in 2019 and $5.2 million in matching funds from the city.
Of that funding, the largest amount is earmarked for construction of the trail, at $13.3 million, Prange said. Plans call for a greenway trail system and transportation improvements along a 3.3-mile stretch of Grant Avenue from Sunshine Street to Walnut Street.
Additionally, $5 million will be used for utility work, such as putting electric cables underground; $4.7 million will go toward right-of-way acquisitions; and $3.2 million is earmarked for engineering and administrative costs, Prange said.
"Our job is to stretch the scope of the project, get the city more for the same amount of money," he said.
To do so, Prange said the project is utilizing a design-build delivery method that essentially allows the contractors and designers to work together in partnership with the city.
A design-build request for qualifications is scheduled to launch April 1, followed by a request for proposals on June 1. The design-build team is scheduled to be selected by the end of August, Rosenbury said.
CMT engineer Brian Eads said four basic concepts are being considered for Grant Avenue. An option that early on has been favored by community members in public meetings would add a median with plant life between two lanes of traffic, with sidewalk and other improvements on the sides of the road, he said.
Engineers also are working on an entrance to the walking and biking trail, at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Sunshine Street. Eads said a widening of Sunshine Street is part of proposed plans and that nearby Bass Pro Shops may weigh in on the entrance design.
Eads additionally said right-of-way acquisitions may affect up to 15 commercial and residential properties along the corridor.
Missouri State University’s science building, built in 1971 and formerly called Temple Hall, is being reconstructed and updated.
