Sales tax revenue will fund $1.7 million worth of work to fancy up two blocks of Jefferson Avenue in downtown Springfield.
The Springfield City Council took up the first reading of a bill that would award the project to KCI Construction, and is expected to give the bill final approval at its last regular meeting of 2022 on Dec. 12.
The contractor will build new stop lights at the intersection of East St. Louis Street and Jefferson Avenue, and will modify the traffic signals at both Walnut Street and Jefferson and at East McDaniel Street and Jefferson. The project scope includes Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant sidewalk improvements at all three intersections, sidewalk improvements along the east side of Jefferson Avenue and stormwater improvements.
Councilman Andy Lear said he is pleased with all of the upcoming pedestrian safety improvements.
“A good portion of this will be to expand pedestrian access along this corridor and ADA compliance,” Lear said. “This is certainly a heavily walked pedestrian area, so I wanted to make sure that is included in all of this design.”
The most recent traffic studies of the Jefferson Avenue streetscape project area were conducted in 2019. Researchers counted 11,151 vehicles passing through the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Walnut Street in a single day. A similar study of the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and St. Louis Street found 8,352 cars passed through in a single day. Jefferson Street runs one way, south, through the entire project zone.
How the finances work
The city received three bids for the project, with KCI Construction company coming in lowest at $1.797 million.The project is funded through Springfield’s ¼-cent capital improvement sales tax and its ⅛-cent transportation sales tax.
KCI Construction is based in the St. Louis suburb of Green Park. It has done projects all over Missouri. A $6.6 million renovation of the Cox College campus in Springfield is one of the company’s highlighted projects.
Assistant Director of Public Works Martin Gugel explained in something of an unpredictable climate for construction and material costs, the bid was 3.3 percent above what engineers initially estimated the project would cost. Springfield Mayor Ken McClure noted how many public works projects have been coming in well above estimate.
“I was pleased to note that this was not far off the engineers’ estimate,” McClure said.
“Exactly,” Gugel said. “We were very pleased to see that.”
Links to Forward SGF comprehensive plan
The street renovation project has ties to a larger beautification goal for Springfield, as outlined in the Forward SGF 20-year comprehensive plan the Springfield City Council adopted on Nov. 14.
The street is adjacent to Jubilee Park, which is made up of two pieces of land on the east side of Jefferson Avenue and measures a total of 0.7315 acres. (The park is named for the Ozark Jubilee country music television program that aired in the 1950s.)
Within the plan’s chapter on revitalizing downtown Springfield, Jubilee Park is identified as a “catalyst site,” defined as, “underutilized parcels or parcels with undesirable uses within the context of downtown where redevelopment could have a significant positive effect on downtown Springfield.”
The authors of the comprehensive plan, consultants from Chicago-based Houseal Lavigne Associates, recommend Springfield invest in turning Jubilee Park into a more active and attractive gathering place.
“Jubilee Park’s programming should be enhanced,” part of the plan reads. “This could include a new plaza, pavilion, play area, outdoor seating, and prominent landscaping along Park Central East. Existing public art pieces should remain while paths and lighting should be upgraded.”
The plan goes on to make specific recommendations for streetscaping and pedestrian travel in and around the park.
“The pedestrian realm should be reinforced with high-visibility crosswalks at all crossing points, widened sidewalks along Jefferson Avenue, and slowed car speeds along Park Central E between the two portions of Jubilee Park,” the plan reads.
