City of Springfield awarded $1.5 million transportation infrastructure grant

The City of Springfield has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) for transportation infrastructure improvements to support supply chain resiliency in a region impacted by the declining use of coal. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.

This grant will support street widening and other infrastructure improvements on LeCompte Road and Division Street in Springfield, increasing inbound and outbound cargo capacity at the Springfield Underground warehousing and logistics hub. The project will reconstruct LeCompte Road to a three-lane section between the BNSF railroad crossing, to a point south of the Springfield Underground’s entrance. The southern portion of LeCompte Road will construct full-depth widening with an asphalt overlay. Additional, improvements will be made at the LeCompte Road and Division Street (Route YY) intersection, as well as Division Street. Intersection improvements will allow for turn-lane improvements on Division Street. Future phase(s) of the project will continue widening improvements to Division, which will include realignment of Le Compte west to line up with Eastgate Avenue. Ozarks Transportation Organization and Greene County are also assisting with related elements of the project.

The EDA investment will be matched with $1.6 million in local funds and is expected to create 94 jobs and generate $28 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates. Local funds are a 50/50 match between the City of Springfield’s already budgeted 1/8-cent Transportation Sales Tax Cost-Share program and the Erlen Group (formerly Springfield Underground.)

“LeCompte Road serves as one of the main thoroughfares for the industrial, manufacturing, and warehousing land uses east of US 65. The roadway is not currently designed to accommodate the volume of truck traffic that exists on it today, nor expected to accommodate in the future,” said Mayor Ken McClure. “One item holding the area back from being developed is the lack of appropriate infrastructure to support it. In order to stimulate economic development in the area, improvements to LeCompte Road are necessary.”

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG). EDA funds SMCOG to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.

“The Economic Development Administration is dedicated to working with communities to support their locally-driven strategies to recover and rebuild from the pandemic,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This EDA investment will support critical improvements to local transportation infrastructure, making the economy more resilient and better equipped to overcome future economic disruptions.”

Olsson, a nationally recognized, employee-owned engineering and design firm, has been selected to design the project. The project is estimated to be completed within the next five years.