by Mary Wilson
While the US 71 Frontage Roads Study determined the City of Grandview to be be at a disadvantage when trying to attract tenants and developments along the new I-49 corridor, Grandview’s Board of Aldermen voted unanimously last week to begin steps toward phase one of conversion to two-way roads. According to the study, a two-way frontage road system will improve the ease of navigation and business access/visibility, promote neighborhood cohesion, reduce transportation costs to citizens and reduce emissions.
“This will ultimately enhance Grandview’s competitive
position for economic development and expand the local tax base,” said City
Engineer Jackie White.
The first phase of the outer roadway conversion project will
convert the I-49 outer roadways to two-way traffic from Blue Ridge to Main
Street. This will require building ramps from I-49 to Main Street to enhance
accessibility. The outer road at Main Street will be realigned to 15th
Street to the west with a new road between Booth Lane and Beacon Avenue. Parts
of existing High Grove Road, Goode and 129th Street will also be
utilized as new outer roads. The existing U-turn bridge at Main Street will be
removed.
Missouri Department of Transportation is designing the
project improvements as previously agreed to in the Project Cost Participation
and Road Relinquishment Agreement. The project is to be constructed with a
maximum of $5 million of federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds
from the Federal Highway Administration.
The actual amount of reimbursable funds received is based
upon 80% of the construction cost up to the maximum allowed. The Missouri
Highways and Transportation Commission oversees the handling of the federal
funds to the City. Part of the Commission’s responsibility is to insure that
the project meets a variety of federal laws.
“We will receive back eighty-percent of the actual payments
to the contractor,” said White. “We will pay the bills and then MoDOT
reimburses us up to that $5 million. When that is spent, then it all comes from
local City funds.”
The ordinance the Aldermen approved on Tuesday, July 28,
authorized the execution of the STP-Urban Agreement with the Missouri Highways
and Transportation Commission. The funds will not be available for disbursement
until October 2017.
“The way that we are hoping it works out is that we will
send the project out for bid around that time,” said White. “So, we could see
construction begin as early as Fall 2017 or early 2018. We do have to purchase
some right-of-way in certain areas.”
With the design being done by MoDOT, according to White,
they will control the timeline.
The Aldermen also approved two other ordinances. The first
is an ordinance with Select Construction Enterprises for the relocation of a
steel bridge that previously spanned over the Blue River on 40 Highway. Both
MoDOT and city staff agree that the bridge is historically significant and can
be reused as a pedestrian structure on a city park trail over the Little Blue
River.
The City of Grandview applied for and received $320,000 of
Transportation Alternative Program funds through the Mid America Regional
Council for the relocation and restoration of the bridge for this purpose. The
project has been split into two phases: to relocate the bridge and to restore
it for pedestrian purposes. Any funds not used in the relocation of the bridge
can be used for rehabilitation. The bridge will be moved from its current
location to Grandview before the end of September 2015.
An ordinance for a subdivision agreement with PG, LLC, was
also approved. This second plat of Sunrise Farms will be a development of forty
homes on nearly 11 acres south of 143rd Street and east of Byars
Road. The developer will complete this portion of the project with
single-family residential lots as it was envisioned with the current Conceptual
Development Plan for the area, in hopes that the new lots will join the
existing homeowners association.
Just How Are they : (MoDOT) now going to do this at the East side of: The Outer Road at Blue Ridge because Head-on Collisions were a problem before, and if The Outer Road both sides are not a Three Lane Parkway, with Turn Lanes, it will be a big old mess; Just like it was before, when it was two lanes, only now with more traffic during peak times !
ReplyDeleteOnly with More Cop's to the accidents and Higher Insurance Premiums for both zip codes, GV, and KC Mo. - and at that intersection west bound B.R. to turn on the East side, it Must have a turn lane to keep congestion down on Blue Ridge too. - - -
Also G.V. and K.C. Mo Need to Make Blue Ridge wider 5 lanes west of I - 49 / I - 71 with 40 MPH to the state line so everyone same is on the same page when passing thru our neck of woods. I know you will get right on that Business Truck Route, A.S.A.P. -