CoxHealth offers land for intersection improvement

During its Feb. 12 meeting, Springfield City Council heard first reading on an agreement with CoxHealth to make intersection improvements, including dual left-turn lanes and dedicated right-turn lanes in all directions and widening National to six lanes south of Primrose to the on- and off-ramps at James River Freeway.

If approved at the Feb. 26 council meeting, the city would use money from its 1/4-cent capital improvements sales tax to pay for the estimated $4 million expansion.

Rod Schaffer, CoxHealth’s executive director of facilities management, said that in addition to wanting to participate in community efforts, the hospital donated the land to expedite the improvement process in one of the city’s most gridlocked areas.

“Between about 6 and 9 a.m. and then between 4 and 7 p.m., it gets really congested around here,” Schaffer said.

“Not only does Cox generate its own traffic, but people are coming in and out of this community. It bottlenecks during those peak times, and we’re looking at solutions to that,” he added.

Springfield Public Works Director Marc Thornsberry said city traffic studies indicate that National also should be widened north of Primrose, though that is not part of this project.

Future improvements could be made to the National and James River interchange, but those changes would have to be in partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation, which controls the freeway.

More animal shelter

Council also considered an expansion at the Springfield-Greene County Health Department Animal Shelter.

Public Health Director Kevin Gipson said the $96,690 expansion would add about 750 square feet to the 936-square-foot shelter, allowing the department to segregate dangerous animals awaiting legal action from those waiting to be picked up by owners.

“The city’s animal shelter was built 30 years ago,” Gipson said at the meeting. “Last fiscal year, we ran 3,600 dogs and cats through the shelter. To say the least, we’re bursting at the seams.”

If approved Feb. 26, the cost of the facility expansion would be paid from a one-time reallocation of department funds.

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