Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
News covering policy and issues related to city and county governments in the Ozarks.

Bridge Project on Springfield's West Side Begins Monday

City of Springfield

The Grand Street Bridge west of the Grand and Kansas Expressway closes Monday morning, April 9, for approximately five months.  The bridge will be removed and replaced.

The bridge reconstruction is part of the larger Grand Street Bridge over Jordan Creek improvement project, which citizens said was their number one priority in need of improvement in the 2015 city-wide transportation survey.

The project will include widening Grand St. to three lanes from Kansas Expressway to Park Ave., which Springfield city officials say will improve both traffic and pedestrian safety.  It will also include the addition of a center turn lane, upgraded stormwater infrastructure, stream restoration, an improved railroad crossing and the construction of a new bridge over Jordan Creek.  A new sidewalk will be added on the south side of Grand, and a multi-use path will be built on the north side that will tie into the existing Ozark Greenways trail system.

Access to Cruse Dog Park, just to the south of the project, as well as to area businesses will be maintained.  But nighttime closures of the Grand Street and Wabash Avenue intersection may be required, according to the City of Springfield.  

A traffic detour will be marked guiding motorists around construction by way of Kansas Expressway, Bennett Street, Scenic Avenue and Mount Vernon Street.

Completion of the $2.9 million project is scheduled for this fall.  The project is being funded by the voter-approved 1/8-cent Transportation Sales Tax.  

View a project fact sheet here.

Michele Skalicky has worked at KSMU since the station occupied the old white house at National and Grand. She enjoys working on both the announcing side and in news and has been the recipient of statewide and national awards for news reporting. She likes to tell stories that make a difference. Michele enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and leisurely kayaking.