Work to widen Republic Road is moving west. The City of Springfield announced Nov. 30 that all lanes are now open on the newly widened portion of Republic just east of the Campbell Avenue intersection.
Phases 4 and 5 of the Republic Road Widening Project are the final and most complicated in the effort to widen Republic Road through Springfield. The project will expand the roadway to five lanes from the traffic signal at the Chase Card Services complex through the Campbell Avenue intersection to Fairview Avenue.
Improvements include Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk upgrades, bike lanes and traffic signal upgrades. Construction will also extend north on Campbell to improve stormwater and utility infrastructure. Work started in March and is expected to last through the end of winter.
Crews are currently focused on the northwest quadrant of the intersection along Campbell. Contractor Capital Paving and Excavating will complete grading and construct concrete pavement, curb, gutter and sidewalk over the next month before carrying construction activity west on Republic Road to Fairview Avenue.
“We’re also working on signal upgrades at Campbell and Republic Road and are slowly shifting operations from old signal poles to the new,” Nicholas Edelman, project manager, said in a press release. “We hope to have the signal fully operational by the first of the year.”
Lane closures have been limited to overnight hours to minimize traffic impacts during the day. Traffic flow in all directions has been maintained throughout.
“We don’t expect traffic control needs to change, but with winter temperatures becoming a factor, there’s always a chance we may need to shift pavement work to daytime hours,” Edelman said. “We are making every effort to minimize traffic impacts, but there may be some lane closure needs pop up.”
Springfield voters in 2016 approved a ⅛-cent transportation sales tax that is helping fund Republic Road Widening Project Phases 4 and 5. The estimated $5.4 million project is also funded through Surface Transportation Block Grant funds, as well as a cost-share agreement the City of Springfield holds with MoDOT. More information on the project is available on the City of Springfield website.
