FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Please join the City of Springfield, Ozark Greenways Inc. and Ozarks Technical Community College at 3 p.m. Friday, May 8 for a two-part dedication and ribbon cutting for the The Link crossings at Sunset Street (which includes the High Intensity Activated Crosswalk signal) and under the Chestnut Expressway viaduct. The first part of the ceremony will take place at the (HAWK) signal located on Sunset Street near the intersection with Kimbrough Avenue. Parking will be available on City Utilities property accessible via a driveway off Sunset, just east of the signal. After the dedication, a team of bicyclists will ride through the ribbon to “cut” it, then they’ll ride through Springfield on The Link to “cut” the ribbon at the OTC connection under the Chestnut viaduct around 4 p.m. Access the OTC Link connection from Central Street, turning south on Clay Street at OTC’s Center for Workforce Development. Drive straight south toward the viaduct. About the project
This $200,000 two-pronged project included the design and construction of an accessible walk and bike path along Kimbrough south of Sunset Street to a crosswalk on Sunset with a High-Intensity Activated Cross Walk (HAWK) signal, along with a path connecting to the South Creek greenway trail; and a new accessible walk and bike path under Chestnut Expressway, connecting Chestnut Street to Sherman Avenue. The contractor for the project was Hunter Chase. The funding source was the 1/8-cent Transportation Sales Tax. "This project, as well as others associated with The Link and greenway trails, help provide routes through the city on which people feel comfortable as they walk and bike," says Project Engineer Jonathan Peitz. "Having a route at their front door instead of having to drive to a trailhead or park makes it easier for people to decide to walk or bike instead of taking a car for a short trip to school, work, to eat, to shop or for recreation.” Residents are encouraged to use the routes available via The Link’s eight-mile north-south bike/walk corridor connecting Doling Park to CoxSouth during Bike to Work Week next week. ### For more information, please contact Pedestrian and Bicycle Engineer David Hutchison, P.E., at 417-864-1971.