[Press Release] : City on schedule with street improvements

[pr-l at news.gocolumbiamo.com]

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Bill Watkins, City Manager - (573) 874-6338 or Toni Messina, Communications Director - (573) 874-7660 

City on schedule with street improvements

COLUMBIA, MO (November 21, 2006) -- Just about this time last year, the Columbia City Council selected 15 street projects to fund with the proceeds of a voter-approved sales tax extension and increase in development fees. Now, according to City Manager Bill Watkins, 12 of those projects are underway.

“I’m pleased to report to Columbia citizens that we’re making progress on many fronts, in all parts of the city. The salt storage facility is under construction. Eleven road improvements are at some level of design, and three road projects will be designed in the future, according to the schedule adopted by the City Council last year,” Watkins said.

Watkins said that the 12 projects represented a value of $45,562,500, or about 86 percent of the funds expected to be available for the 15 projects through the voter-approved tax. He predicted that motorists would see continuing waves of orange construction barrels in the years ahead.

“It’s a bad-news-good-news situation for all of us,” Watkins said. “The bad news is the hassle of driving around construction sites, but the good news is that orange barrels mean we’re solving some of our road problems.” 

The status of the 15 projects is shown below.

Under Construction
* Salt storage facility - $688,000

In Design
* Scott Boulevard - Brook View Terrace to Rollins Road - $6.2 million
* Gans Road/US 63 interchange - $5,462,000
* Lemone Industrial Boulevard - $8.9 million - negotiating design contract
* Burnham/Rollins/Providence intersection improvements - $997,500 - negotiating design contract
* Providence Road - Vandiver to Blue Ridge - $2,860,000
* Vandiver Drive - US 63 to Mexico Gravel Road - $3.3 million
* Brown School Road - Highway 763 to Providence Road - $4.5 million - negotiating design contract
* Louisville Drive - connect Millbrook Drive to Smith Drive - $1,755,000
* Mexico Gravel Road - Vandiver Drive to Route PP - $2.7 million
* Clark Lane - Route PP to Lake of the Woods Road - $3.6 million
* Highway 763 - $1 million

Future Design Schedule
* Scott Boulevard - Vawter School Road to KK - $6 million - 2007
* Grace Lane - Richland Road southward, 2,700 feet - $2.4 million - 2008
* Scott Boulevard - Vawter School Road to MKT - $2.4 million - 2010

The sales tax proceeds associated with the 15 projects total $52,762,500. This is in addition to $25,000,000 earmarked for continuing annual needs affecting street and corridor preservation; sidewalks and pedways; landscaping; traffic safety; joint projects with Boone County; and amounts needed for inflation and contingencies. 

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