(KTTS News) — Phase 1 of the new Kansas Expressway Extension in South Springfield opens today.
The Greene County Highway Department says the stretch between Republic Road and Weaver Road will open to traffic at 6 p.m.
A second stretch of Kansas Expressway between Weaver Road and Plainview Road will open next Friday.
Phase 2 of the project, which runs from Plainview Road to Farm Road 190, should be finished by the fall of 2025.
Press Release
Construction on Phase 1 of the Kansas Expressway Extension project in south Springfield is nearly complete. Republic Road south to Weaver Road (Farm Road 178) will be open to motorists starting 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2. The remaining portion of Phase 1, from Weaver Road to Plainview Road (Farm Road 182), will open the following Friday, Feb. 9, as contractors work on the final details.
A semi-final inspection of Phase 1 was completed this week and several final punch list items that still need to be completed can be conducted behind the curb and out of traffic. However, some of the work on Weaver Road still requires the use of the roadway, so the county Highway Dept. has elected to keep that portion closed for an additional week until Feb. 9.
The metal traffic light poles that will be erected at Republic Road and Kansas Expressway are still on back order and will replace the current light structure once shipped to the county.
Phase 1 of the project included the construction of a new two-lane road beginning at Republic Road with turning lanes at major intersections, new stormwater improvements, and a pedestrian and bicycle path along the corridor.
Phase 2 of the project, from Plainview Road to Farm Road 190, has already begun with contractors clearing brush to make way for the future extension. It’s estimated to be completed in the fall of 2025.
Once completed, the entire extension will provide motorists with an alternative connection in southern Greene County and provide traffic congestion relief along parallel routes at Cox Road and Campbell Avenue.
Emery Sapp & Sons was awarded the $15.7 million project by MoDOT in December of 2021. 80% of the project is paid with federal transportation funds and 20% is paid by Greene County. The City of Springfield is also a cost share partner as the northern portion of the extension falls within the city limits of Springfield.
