Project:  Location Study and Concept Design for a Grade Separated Pedestrian Crossing of National Avenue between Grand Street and Monroe Street

Purpose for Project:  The City Traffic Engineering Division has a long range goal of improving the safety for pedestrians crossing National Avenue.  Two years ago the intersection of National Avenue and Grand Street was rebuilt with audible countdown pedestrian signals and median refuges.  Later this year the intersection of National Avenue and Cherry Street will be rebuilt to bring the intersection to ADA standards and current pedestrian signal standards.  Within the next two years, the intersection of National Avenue and Monroe Street is to be rebuilt and signals added to provide another controlled location to cross National Avenue.  With the Monroe Street upgrade, controlled pedestrian crossings will be provided at 900-foot intervals along the National Avenue campus frontage. 

The next step is to improve conditions at the Carrington quadrangle pedestrian crossing.  Nearly everyone has a different concept of what a grade-separated crossing is and where it should be located.  The purpose for the current pedestrian crossing location study and concept design is to develop a “best” concept for a grade-separated crossing so that all participating parties have a similar understanding of the potential project.  A preferred design is needed to determine the impact on surrounding land and the overall cost.  Once the preferred  grade-separated crossing design has been developed, it can be compared with other solutions including modifications to the at-grade crossing.  The value for each solution can be determined and a priority set for the implementation of a preferred solution.

Project Guidance:  The project is guided by a steering committee consisting of staff from several City departments and Missouri State University as follows:

Location Study:  Travel patterns on the Missouri State University campus and on the east side of National Avenue have been reviewed.  The university campus is set up along an east-west axis with most academic and student life buildings located along the Carrington quadrangle and the mall between Carrington Hall and Strong Hall.  The axis crosses National Avenue near the existing signalized crosswalk.  The Rountree Neighborhood east of National Avenue is primarily single family residential from National Avenue to Glenstone Avenue.  The exceptions are the lots fronting National Avenue and the blocks south of Page Street west of Kickapoo Avenue which include retail (south of Belmont Street facing National Avenue), apartment buildings and other housing for unrelated individuals, campus social and ministry houses, and parking.   Two principle corridors for travel east of national Avenue are along Belmont Street (serving apartment and single-family housing and Rountree Elementary School) and south of the old book store building opposite the Carrington quadrangle (serving social and ministry houses and commercial parking).  The observation is reaffirmed by a 2006 pedestrian count finding that of nearly 2,200 pedestrians crossing National Avenue between Grand Street and Cherry Street, 18 percent crossed at Grand Street, 52 percent at the Carrington quadrangle crosswalk, 17 percent near Madison Avenue, and 12 percent from Monroe Street to Cherry Street.  The centroid of the activity seems to be the middle of the block between Page Street and Belmont Street, about 100 feet south of the existing Carrington quadrangle crosswalk.

Concept Design:  Five design concepts have been prepared for review at this site.  Your comments are requested related to elements of each concept.  You may describe what you like and dislike about each and mix and match elements for your preferred concept.

Long Range Planning:  A high priority for development in Springfield is to provide facilities that encourage activity such as walking and bicycling.  As fuel prices continue to increase, people will look for opportunities to reduce their automobile use.  It is projected that the number of pedestrian and bicycle trips will continue to increase and a higher priority will be given to projects that improve convenience and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The Link is a project that is to provide a connection to all of the multi-purpose trails on low-volume, low-speed streets.  The proposed location for the Link between Fassnight Creek Trail at Phelps Grove Park and Jordan Valley Trail at Jordan Valley Park is along John Q. Hammons Parkway through the Missouri State University Campus.  The National Avenue pedestrian crossing at the MSU Carrington quadrangle is a direct path between the Rountree neighborhood and the Link.

Next Steps:  After a review of comments from the public meeting and website, the Missouri State University community, the Rountree neighborhood, and other invested parties, the project guidance team will instruct the Consultant to prepare a preliminary design using the preferred design elements.  The Consultant and design team will determine the impacts related to storm water, utilities, and site circulation.  Each invested party will be given opportunity to review the preliminary design once its impacts are determined.  The required right-of-way will be determined and a cost estimate prepared for future planning.  The City and the university will develop a priority for the project and determine how to fund the project.  One option is to continue to manage traffic with an at-grade crossing and place a grade separated crossing project on the long range plan for consideration in the future.