Springfield received $21 million BUILD grant to create bicycle, pedestrian friendly corridor through the heart of the city

The City of Springfield has been awarded a $21 million BUILD grant to create a 3.3 mile bicycle & pedestrian friendly corridor through the heart of the city connecting major neighborhoods and destinations. Senator Roy Blunt, who is a member of the SEnate Appropriations Committee and worked with the Department of Transportation to support the project, released the news this week. 

Map of the Grant Avenue project in Springfield (click for full-sized view)

According to Blunt's press release:

The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant will be used to reconstruct approximately 3.3 miles of a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian path on Grant Avenue starting in Downtown Springfield and ending at Sunshine Street. The project will include bike lanes, a roundabout, two raised intersections, three protected intersections, a grade-separated crossing at Fassnight Creek, bridge enhancement, utility upgrades, fiber connectivity, additional crossing and signal timing improvements, outdoor incubator, and creek daylighting.

“The investments we make in our infrastructure directly benefit jobs and the local economy,” said Blunt. “By connecting Springfield’s parks, museums, and other cultural destinations to the city’s growing downtown district, this project will spur economic development and boost the tourism industry. I was glad to work with the Department of Transportation on this project, and I’m pleased this grant gets it one step closer to being completed.”

The Springfield News-Leader reported:

The idea for the project is to create an "attractive corridor" to connect downtown and nearby neighborhoods to the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, according to a city news release. It will also close a gap in the Ozark Greenways rural trail network. 

"The city of Springfield is so excited about this transformational news," said Mayor Ken McClure in a news release. "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." 

According to KY3 News:

Mayor Ken McClure said Grant Avenue serves as the perfect place for the parkway because of it's accessibility for tourism.

"People are coming in town to go to a very attractive, nationally recognized museum on the south side and our downtown has been so vibrant in the last few years," he said. "There's been so much activity so it makes good sense to tie those two together."

The parkway will start downtown and end at Sunshine Street, including bike lanes, a roundabout, various traffic-calming improvements, a grade-separated crossing at Fassnight Creek, bridge enhancement, utility upgrades, fiber connectivity and additional crossing and signal timing improvements. 

Visualization of Springfield Grant Ave project

 . . . 

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. . . . 

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. 

Missouri and the BUILD grant program

The full list of BUILD grants for 2019 has not yet been released.  Several more Missouri communities and agencies have applied for BUILD funding in 2019.  We could see more announcements of Missouri funding for some of those projects soon.

In the 2018 round of BUILD grants, Missouri received a significant share of the national funding--though in the 2017 round, no Missouri projects were awarded.

MoBikeFed and other Missouri bicycle & pedestrian groups who attend the National Bike Summit each year have strong supported the BUILD grant program, formerly known as the TIGER grant program, because it supports innovative and integrated transportation projects like the Grant Avenue project in Springfield.

BUILD grants are one of the few federal sources of funding to provide this type of flexible and integrated funding.  Since TIGER/BUILD grants have become available, it has become very clear that cities, states, and regions have a strong demand for this kind of flexible funding, and will most often opt to include needed bicycle and pedestrian connectivity in projects when given that choice.

More information:

• Springfield's Build Grant proposal
• U.S. Department of Transportation's BUILD Grant program

Working to create a world-class bicycle and pedestrian network across Missouri is one of the four major goals in MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri. Working at the congressional level to support funding for programs like BUILD is one way we do that.

Your ongoing membership and generous financial support helps turn our Vision into reality!

Hat tip to Chester Kojro for forwarding this news item.

Image credits: City of Springfield