Designing Complex City Priorities
Grand Street Bridge Over Jordan Creek, Kansas Expressway to Park Avenue
When the city of Springfield voters completed a transportation survey in mid-2015, they chose the Grand Street Bridge project as their number one priority in need of improvement. The survey was conducted leading up to the renewal of the 1/8-cent transportation and ¼-cent capital improvement sales taxes. Both taxes renewed with more than 85% of voter support.
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) was selected by the City of Springfield, MO to design the replacement of a deteriorated structure over Jordan Creek and help develop solutions for pedestrian and vehicle safety concerns along the corridor. The project was very complex with multiple challenges within the urban collector corridor that went well beyond the need for a typical bridge replacement project.
In addition to the total replacement of the 100-year-old structure, the project improvements included roadway widening from the intersection of Kansas Expressway to Park Avenue. The team coordinated with multiple agencies to implement pedestrian safety improvements outside of the project limits. The team brought together representatives from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), City of Springfield, Utilities Transit Department, and the Ozark Greenways to develop a pedestrian safety plan for the entire corridor. This also included improvements to the existing public bus stop location within the project limits.
As described, the project included much needed improvements to accommodate pedestrians with new sidewalks and multi-use path connections to the existing greenway system at the Grand Street bridge crossing with Jordan Creek. The final design included a pedestrian pathway switchback configuration under the Grand Street Bridge by utilizing the overflow ledge along the channel of Jordan creek. This unique configuration offered a grade separated solution to pedestrians crossing Grand Street that balanced the needs of hydraulic capacity, geomorphic considerations, and tight geometric constraints at the bridge and adjacent driveways.
