Possible sinkholes expand scope of Chestnut overpass project

Last edited 2:53 p.m., Oct. 18, 2016

Springfield City Council last night held a first reading on a bill that would contribute more funding to an over-budget overpass project on East Chestnut Expressway near U.S. Highway 65 due to possible sinkholes in the area.

If passed by council, the city would increase its investment in the project by $1.6 million and amend the Public Works Department’s budget by $1.3 million.

Assistant Public Works Director Kirk Juranas said the increased cost of the project would provide a more lasting solution for dealing with an unstable foundation by driving steel through the ground until it bears on rock. He said after the meeting the overpass bridge improvement project, which would extend over the Thayer Line of the BNSF Railway, has been challenging.

“I’m glad we are bringing it to fruition,” he said, noting he believes the project would save lives by easing the traffic often backed up from trains crossing Chestnut.

The city, Greene County and the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission entered into a cost-share agreement for construction of the project in 2012 in collaboration with BNSF. The agreement was revised in February 2015 and again in December 2015, when it was split into two phases.

The updated estimated total project cost is $18 million, with about 45 percent of that cost, or $6.8 million, being shouldered by the city. According to the agreement, the remainder of the project will be funded by Surface Transportation Program federal grant funds and by the city’s eighth-cent transportation sales tax. The estimated completion date of the project is Sept. 29, 2017.

Council will vote on the proposal at its Oct. 31 meeting.