The City of Springfield is gathering feedback on conceptual design plans for safety and pedestrian improvements along Kansas Avenue between Walnut Lawn and Maplewood Streets in the Greater Parkcrest Neighborhood.
The goal of the potential future project is to improve motorist safety by reducing the height difference between the roadway and connecting driveways and eliminating the open ditches on either side of Kansas Avenue. The project will include the reconstruction of the roadway with the addition of curb and gutter and construction of new underground stormwater infrastructure. The project will improve pedestrian connectivity through the addition of crosswalks and construction of a new sidewalk along the east side of Kansas Avenue and multi-use path along the west side.
There is known neighborhood speeding in the area. The City plans to keep the lanes narrow to help naturally reduce speed. There are no plans at this time to add a third lane or change the roadway classification or speed limit.
The conceptual design for Kansas Avenue Roadway Improvement Project was approved by voters through the 2019 renewal of the ¼-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax which allocated $750,000 for design and partial right of way. The design contractor for the project is local civil engineering firm Bartlett & West. Funding for construction of the project is not currently allocated. The project is expected to be included in upcoming sales tax public feedback initiatives. If selected for further funding, construction of the project would not take place until 2024 or later.