Metro Eats braces for Sunshine Street bridge work 

Metro Eats, an 11-acre west Springfield development, which includes a food truck park, bar, event space and a food hall, is showing signs of growth this year. It reached its tenant capacity for the first time since its 2022 grand opening, said owner Christina Shellhart – an accomplishment that will be challenged starting this week, as a multimillion-dollar bridge replacement project on Sunshine Street begins right by the 2463 W. Sunshine St. business. 

Construction on the bridge that carries Sunshine Street over Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad tracks is set to begin Aug. 4, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. It marks the second time the bridge has been scheduled for replacement this year, as work originally was planned to begin in early March. However, concerns about the demolition plan from MNA Railroad, which leases the railway from Union Pacific Railroad, forced a delay of several months, said Brad Gripka, Springfield resident engineer with MoDOT.

“We’re working with two different railroads and two different approvals, so it makes it a little bit complicated,” Gripka said. 

Sunshine Street between Scenic Avenue and Marion Avenue will close for up to four months for the bridge replacement. Additionally, the project involves construction of new sidewalks on both sides of Sunshine between Scenic and Marion. General contractor is Hartman & Co. Inc. and the estimated cost is $5.9 million.

The existing bridge was built in 1963, and currently carries more than 26,000 vehicles a day, according to MoDOT.  

“It’s had its full life,” Gripka said, adding it is being replaced due to structural concerns. “This bridge had a rating of three, which puts it at a serious condition.”

Gripka said bridges are rated on a scale of zero to nine, with nine being in the best condition and zero being closure.

Shellhart said she’s thankful the work was delayed from March, as several of Metro Eats’ 18 vendors have come on board in the past few months, such as food trucks Thai-Me-Up and Taqueria Mexico Mi Tierra. She estimated Metro Eats revenue is up 20%-30% this year compared to last, declining to disclose figures. 

“We’re right at the brink and here comes the bridge,” she said, adding the venue has averaged 20,000-30,000 impressions per day on Facebook in July. “If (MoDOT) would’ve done it in March, it would’ve hurt terribly. We needed this one more little push. It wasn’t ever going to be a great time unless they did January, February, March, which wasn’t going to happen.”

Metro Eats is on property owned by Tony Still of Still Investment Co. LLC and sits west of the recently shuttered Red’s Giant Hamburg restaurant near the Sunshine Street and Kansas Expressway intersection, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. The venture fills most of a 10,000-square-foot building, which also is occupied by sign company Frog’s Detailed Specialties and car dealer Rockon Motors LLC. 

Low profile
While Metro Eats has been operating with vendors since 2022, Shellhart said the development has struggled with name recognition. The addition of another large sign within 500 feet from the one used by neighbor U.S. Automotive is prohibited by the city, she said. 

“We still have the same issue where people are saying they don’t know we’re here,” she said. “We’ve always battled the signage issue.”

Use of angled flag banners are only temporary, Shellhart said, noting the wind “tears them to pieces.”

“Word of mouth is what we rely on,” she said, adding she recently spent an undisclosed amount on advertising with KY3. “We think it worked, but I couldn’t do that until we had the people out here, and now we finally have it. So, now I can throw a little more at it.”

For those looking to navigate around construction, eastbound and westbound traffic will be unable to drive over the bridge during the project, according to MoDOT. Designated detours include James River Freeway, Kansas Expressway, Chestnut Expressway and West Bypass. The project area will extend west of Scenic and east of Kansas Expressway, with lane closures on Sunshine, Kansas and Scenic.

While the project will essentially close Sunshine between Scenic and Marion, businesses along that portion of the road will be accessible during construction. Barricades will be placed near the bridge. 

The Where House Bar, which seats around 200 and features live music, trivia and pop-up vendor events, is one of the original tenants at Metro Eats, said co-owner Betsy Walker. Walker also is general manager of Stusquatch’s Rockstar BBQ LLC, which is in the food hall at Metro Eats. 

“It’s going to hurt while it’s happening, but we’ll just make the best of it,” she said. “We’ll be open. We’re going to have events out here. We’ll still have music and do everything we can.”

The bar in January started opening at 11 a.m. instead of its previous 4 p.m. start time. It provides climate-controlled seating for people grabbing food, Shellhart said.

“They specifically did that to support everyone out here, for the food truck owners,” Shellhart said. 

Walker said she’s noticed an uptick in business at the bar.

“I have people just discovering us, people coming from the food trucks, asking if they can eat in here,” she said, noting revenue growth is probably 10%-15% since last summer. “People who I’ve talked to want to support local and they say that they’ll come out [during construction]. It’s just if they actually will.”

Jade Dragon Bubble Tea occupies one of the shipping containers at Metro Eats. The drive-thru bubble tea shop opened July 10, said manager Kayle Monrotus. Her mother, Rachael Monrotus, owns the new venture. 

“With the bridge closing, it’s going to be hard for people to come over here from this side of town,” Kayle Monrotus said. “They would have to go down Scenic and around. We’re also going on DoorDash, so hopefully we can get around that and we can deliver to people.”

Adding delivery was planned from the beginning, she said, but noted the construction makes it a more attractive option for growing its customer base. 

“We’re trying to make it to where we can make it easier on our customers to get better access to our drinks and our menu,” she said.

MoDOT’s Gripka said the weather will be a factor for the speed of the project. 

“It’s a very tight project, but we understand the impacts to the travelling public, so we’re trying to get it done as quickly as possible,” he said. 

Minor impact
In business at Metro Eats for roughly three years, Grow for Good 417 LLC owner Craig Granger believes he’s established enough to sustain any temporary dip in foot traffic at his plant shop. 

“The only thing I’ll be missing is just people wandering in here randomly,” he said. “I’m sure it will hurt a little bit but it’s hard to determine for sure.”

Granger said he’s helped by not solely depending on sales at Metro Eats to sustain his business. Grow for Good 417 also has plants for sale at The Local Bevy in the Rountree neighborhood, downtown art gallery Formed: An Artist Collective and the East Sunshine Street location of MaMa Jean’s Natural Foods Market LLC. He said plans are to soon add his plants to MaMa Jean’s on East Republic Road, with the hopes of also providing products for the grocer’s West Sunshine Street location in the future. 

“Then, I’ll do events here and there,” he said.

Next door to Metro Eats, officials at U.S. Automotive Inc. expect the construction will have a minor impact on their business. Terry Hyden, owner and president, estimated a 10% dip during the next few months. The auto repair company also has an Ozark shop.

“We’ve been in business 44 years,” Hyden said, noting it has three- and four-generation customers contributing to a client database of roughly 70,000. “We’re more of a need business than a want business.”

While Shellhart steels herself for the start of construction, she looks forward to the addition of sidewalks, which will bolster public safety for those who choose to come to Metro Eats on foot. She said that likely will include residents of The Crescent Apartments, a 174,000-square-foot development which opened its first phase last year. Its second phase was completed this year, bringing 145 units to the multifamily housing market. 

“It’s going to pay off,” she said. “We don’t have sidewalks, so we’ll have a sidewalk. You’ll be able to safely cross across the bridge, which before you couldn’t do. I walked it. It was really narrow and hard to do.

“It’s going to be fantastic when it’s done. It’s just getting through it.”