Proposition B projects receive city's endorsement

It is no secret that, if Proposition B is approved by voters, most of the dollars generated would be invested in Missouri's metropolitan areas.

As the third largest city in the state, the city of Springfield could benefit by more than $1 million in the first year.

Even more significant is the amount of money that would be spent on state highway projects in the Missouri Department of Transportation's District 8, which includes Springfield. It explodes to hundreds of millions of dollars over the 10-year life of the proposed taxes and tackles projects the city could not touch, said City Manager Tom Finnie.

City Council and staff endorse Proposition B based on a proposed project list that is highlighted by three outdated interchanges Interstate 44 and Highway 65, Highway 65 and Route 60, Route 60 and Glenstone and a widening of the West Bypass north-south corridor within the city.

Highway 65: Priority No. 1'

The largest local project planned is the Highway 65 improvements from Route 60 through Springfield to Route C north of Buffalo. A complete cost estimate exceeds $500 million, so Proposition B would begin, but not complete, the project.

In its 10 years, Proposition B would devote $300 million to add lanes and modify interchanges along the Highway 65 corridor between Route 60 and Route C.

Among the planned Highway 65 improvements is the updating of the I-44 and Highway 65 interchange, which Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission member Jim Anderson calls the No. 1 priority of area Proposition B plans.

"It's a safety issue," said Anderson, who also is president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. "It's a serious situation (because) that intersection is having much more traffic and demand than it was ever designed to have."

MoDOT District 8 Engineer Dale Ricks said the cloverleaf interchange there was built 30 years ago and designed to have a 20-year lifespan. It would be improved with fly-over ramps that provide direct access from one highway to the other, he said.

"The new design would be a fully directional freeway to freeway interchange," Ricks said, similar to Kansas City's interstates 70 and 435 interchange.

It would be constructed in phases, with phase I being the fly-over ramp for northbound Highway 65 to westbound I-44 traffic. The interchange now handles about 43,000 cars daily according to MoDOT traffic figures.

The first phase would cost $17 million and be completed under Proposition B. The whole project is estimated at $120 million.

Also included in the Highway 65 plan is the widening of the highway to six lanes through Springfield between I-44 and Route 60. Fly-over ramps would also be implemented at the Highway 65 and Route 60 interchange. MoDOT officials do not know the amount of work to be done in the 10-year span, but the complete cost of widening and modifying interchanges is $263 million.

Highway 65 north of I-44 to Route C past Buffalo would be widened to four lanes at a cost of $107 million. It is not known how much of that project would be done in the next 10 years.

Proposition B funds would be used to create a four-lane highway south of Branson along Highway 65, between Hollister and the Arkansas border. It would be completed in 10 years and cost $119 million.

Route 60/Glenstone

One of the most congested areas of the city the James River Freeway and Glenstone Avenue interchange would undergo modifications to ease traffic flow. Although it was built in the last 10 years, rapid commercial development has made its design obsolete, Ricks said.

"When that was designed there was nothing out there," he said. "Now the commercial development is unbelievable. That development was not foreseen to that extent."

For $35 million it would be reconfigured with a new loop ramp from southbound Glenstone Avenue to eastbound Route 60. In 10 years $22 million would be spent on this project.

Route 160 (West Bypass)

Another project to be completed under Proposition B is the West Bypass widening from Chestnut Expressway to Kearney Street. It will be widened to four lanes, with designated left-turn lanes, at a cost of $12 million.

Route 60/37

The Route 60/37 corridor improvements would begin in MoDOT District 8, but finish at the Arkansas state line in Joplin's District 7. The District 8 roadway between Republic and Marionville would be widened to four lanes at a cost of more than $150 million.

Anderson considers this project to be the second most important, and called it an "economic artery" that connects Springfield to northwest Arkansas.

"There is a lot of commerce travel (or) truck traffic between northwest Arkansas and Springfield," he said.

Completion of the entire corridor between Republic and the state line is estimated to cost more than $400 million; $140 million would be spent by District 8 over 10 years.

Plans are to eventually make Route 60 east four lane all the way to the Illinois border.

Local ties

Considering Springfield's major interchanges are outdated and traffic flow is heavier than they can handle, Proposition B's local project plans hit the nail on the head, according to city officials.

"They are well beyond anything that we could handle locally. We're talking millions and millions of dollars," Finnie said of the proposed projects. "If MoDOT doesn't get more (funding), I think it's going to be a long time before it gets done."

Furthermore, Finnie said the two entities have established a good working relationship from other projects, like the Highway 65 and Sunshine Street interchange and the James River Freeway extension, which are both on budget and on time.

Lending a helping hand to the city's relationship with MoDOT is Anderson's position on the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

"I think Jim brings a lot of credibility to the MoDOT commission," Finnie said. "He has earned that confidence."

Anderson, who was appointed in November, also spent time on the state's Total Transportation Commission a couple years ago. He does not take his new role lightly, and he relishes the opportunity.

"That's a tremendous responsibility," he said. "Obviously I think it is a value having someone on the commission that knows the needs in our area and can help communicate those needs. It's always been a real interest of mine, primarily because of the role that transportation plays in economic development."

Voters throughout the state will have the final say Aug. 6 on whether Proposition B is the right economic stimulus package for Missouri.