Wally Kennedy: Madison Street remains hot

It won’t be long now before some important improvements come to Madison Street between Sunset Creek and 13th Street in Webb City.

I have been asked why I pay attention to Madison Street. Range Line Road becomes Madison when it enters Webb City. The name changes, but it’s still the same road. Anyway, I like Webb City, and that’s reason enough.

More importantly, Madison has seen a lot of business development in recent years, and there’s no indication that trend is slowing. It’s a hot spot. Recognizing that, the city and the Missouri Department of Transportation are trying to get ahead of the curve in planning for the future.

The intersection at Madison and MacArthur Drive (Highway 171) handles about 23,000 vehicles per day. That number is expected to grow to 33,000 per day in 20 years. There’s no doubt that will happen, and probably sooner than later.

Chuck Surface, head of economic development in Webb City, said: “We have known for quite some time that traffic is going to increase tremendously. We want to get out in front of that problem.

“We also have safety issues. The intersection at 13th Street, where the Wal-Mart is, that’s our No. 1 accident site. We need to make that intersection safer and wider.”

Last week, MoDOT unveiled its improvement plan. At Madison and MacArthur, expanded turn lanes will be added. A signal will be installed at Madison and Seventh streets. Seventh Street west of that intersection will be realigned. At Madison and 13th streets, a wider turning radius and other safety improvements are planned.

North of MacArthur, the city will widen the Sunset Creek bridge to match the width of the new roadway.

The city will acquire the necessary right of way and provide funding for at least half of the project costs, and will assume all of the costs associated with widening Sunset Creek bridge. Voters recently approved a $5.7 million bond issue for the work. Funding also will come from the creation of a Transportation Development District not unlike the one that was created to fund the new interchange at 17th Street and Range Line Road in Joplin.

The district will be a taxing entity that will help pay the construction costs through a sales tax of up to 1 percent. It will be assessed by businesses within a specific area.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission will take up the matter in January. If the plan gets the OK, the city will start purchasing right of way to get the project moving.

To its credit, Webb City has laid a foundation for this one stone at a time over a period of years. It has been slow going, but it shows what a few determined and forward-thinking people can achieve. That’s just one of the many reasons I like Webb City. No wonder the town’s slogan is: “We Love It Here.”

Winefeast

It’s kind of pricey, but the cause is worth it.

The 20th Winefeast will be held Sunday at the Holiday Inn in Joplin. Winefeast is a fundraising project for Ozarks Public Television, which brings educational and historical programming to 57 counties and a potential audience of 1.6 million people.