Traffic relief in sight at Sunshine & U.S. 65

by Melissa Wilson

SBJ Staff

It's been called the worst intersection in town and cursed regularly by myriad Springfield drivers during rush hour.

It's no wonder as many as 80,000 vehicles per day squeeze through the intersection at Sunshine and U.S. 65, according to Missouri Department of Transportation Project Engineer Ron Effland.

However, relief is in sight for drivers who frequent the intersection and are rapidly running out of expletives.

With funds from the city's eighth-cent sales tax for traffic improvements, construction begins this month for a new interchange at the intersection. A new highway bridge over Sunshine will be built, as well as new on- and off-ramps. Eastgate and Ingram Mill Road will be rerouted away from the intersection, and one traffic light will control it.

"We're looking at fall 2003 for (completion of) the entire interchange," Effland said. "We're building it in pieces the first piece will be the relocation of the outer roads, which will take about a year. Then we'll start with the interchange, which will take approximately three years."

MoDOT had the new intersection budgeted to begin about five years from now, but the city formed a transportation corporation to get it moved to the front of the line, according to MoDOT literature.

The corporation bonded immediate funding for the project, which MoDOT will repay when the funds become available, as well as the funds the corporation borrowed from the Missouri State Infrastructure Bank to secure bonding.

The project, once estimated to cost $21 million, is now budgeted to cost approximately $14 million. The city will pay the interest on the loan from the Missouri Infrastructure Bank.

"The effect we're looking for specifically when this project is complete is the improvement of traffic flow on Sunshine, and we're also preparing for construction of six lanes on 65. This project should help in both areas," Effland said.

The pile of dirt between Eastgate and the northbound on-ramp to 65 will raise the highway to meet the new bridge, Effland said. The dirt was taken from other area projects by Dean Hartman & Co., the general contractor for the relocation of Eastgate and Ingram Mill. Bids for the additional work on Sunshine will be taken in September 2000.

"The dirt that's there now is only about half of what we need to raise 65," Effland said, adding that the new bridge will be about 330 feet long and 7 feet taller than the existing bridge.

MoDOT plans to keep all four lanes of 65 open during construction, which will be possible because the new bridge will be constructed in the median, Effland said. Effland said the challenges MoDOT faces with the construction of the Sunshine-and-65 project are environmental concerns and dealing with the more than 80,000 vehicles that pass through daily.

"Erosion control is an issue. Water quality has been a big issue in this area, so we're going to spend a lot of time and effort on environmental issues, including noise," Effland said.