U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt’s office announced Nov. 6, 2019 that the City of Springfield will receive $20,960,822 in federal funds to create the Grant Avenue Parkway – major multi-modal transportation improvements, along Grant Avenue in the heart of Springfield.
Blunt sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao earlier this year urging funding for the project. Funding is from a BUILD Transportation Grant. BUILD stands for “Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development.”
This 3.3-mile stretch of “parkway” would create an attractive corridor connecting vibrant Downtown Springfield to the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, with various neighborhoods, parks, Ozark Greenway connections and other amenities in between.
“The City of Springfield is so excited about this transformational news. This grant will help the City take a giant step forward in carrying out the City Council priorities of economic vitality and quality of place. We are extremely grateful for the superb congressional support, which has made this grant a reality,” said Mayor Ken McClure.
The Grant Avenue Parkway is a proposed project to create an off-street pedestrian and bicycle pathway along Grant Avenue between Sunshine Street and Walnut Street, in the heart of Springfield. The parkway route would further connect parks and recreation amenities, neighborhoods, schools and fill a gap in the Ozark Greenways rural trail network.
It is planned to start downtown and end at Sunshine Street and will include bike lanes, a roundabout, various traffic-calming improvements, a grade-separated crossing at Fassnight Creek, bridge enhancement, utility upgrades, fiber optic connectivity and additional crossing and signal-timing improvements.
Downtown Springfield’s renaissance has been steady over the past 20 years. Over one-half billion dollars of public and private investment has been made downtown since 1996. WOW was voted America’s Best Aquarium and Best New Attraction by USA Today readers.
Since opening in September 2017, the estimated $300 million private investment has resulted in significantly increased hotel nights and generated hundreds of thousands of visitors. These two destinations generate a tremendous amount of economic activity and are authentic Springfield experiences for both residents and visitors. This project will also alleviate traffic congestion, improve safety and accessibility and reduce environmental concerns.
The City’s Public Works and Planning departments convened a multi-departmental, multi-agency team to prepare the grant proposal. The City is required to provide a 20% match – roughly $5 million.
For more information visit springfieldmo.gov/grantavenueparkway