Last week, an anonymous flier circulated around the Old Southwest and Broadway neighborhood and stimulated conversation online and around town. You can read the flier here.
In a nutshell, the flier expressed concern about the renovations of Broadway between Garth Avenue and West Boulevard. The construction project has been a topic of public interest for decades, and in late 2007, the project moved forward to the design stage. Some options included expanding Broadway to four lanes between West and Garth or adding medians and sidewalks — both designs aimed at cutting down on congestion and accidents on the street. The most recent Missourian article addressing the topic is here.
In December, a traffic surveying company proposed that instead of widening the road, other measures would ease the traffic, but the anonymous flier publisher disagreed. The flier said implied was engaging in “cronyism” and protecting their friends’ property on Broadway. The unnamed penman wrote that residents along Ash and West Worley streets would pay the price for something less than a Broadway widening because more drivers will pass through their neighborhood to avoid the Broadway congestion.
Fourth Ward Councilman Jerry Wade said during a phone interview that he was unsure why the issue had been brought up again. Currently, the discussion of the Broadway expansion is not on the City Council’s agenda. The project lacks funding or a timeline. The city budget for fiscal 2009 indicates the project would cost an estimated $5 million and might take place until 2011 or beyond.
The Public Works Department issued this statement about the project: “City staff are negotiating with a consultant for a scope of services and fee for the West Broadway widening project, which will be taken to City Council for approval at a future date. Their scope lists several interested parties meetings towards developing a proposed improvement level. There will be several public meetings in the future for this project.”
The Missourian will update readers about the project and design as it makes headway.
Filed under: City Council, City Government Tagged: | Broadway, Councilman Jerry Wade, Holly Jackson, Old Southwest, Public Works, road construction
