Kansas Expressway Roadwork Slows Traffic

     If you've been driving in Springfield downtown lately, you may have noticed that Kansas Expressway has been very ragged and torn apart. The wintertime has taken its toll on this busy Springfield road. As snowplows and ice have cracked the road and created potholes, the road has been slightly mutilated in the past months. The main problem is that this road is one of the busiest in Springfield during morning traffic, especially for many students doing to Central High School. During morning traffic, downtown traffic is extremely backed up, and you are basically guaranteed to hit every red light.

Traffic Near Downtown in Springfield (Hunter Matson)

     Once road construction begins, the road will most likely be closed down to one lane and traffic will move even slower. This will cause commuters to be later and more stressed when they get to work. MoDot expects the road work to start during spring and last all the way until the fall. This is not a small patchwork project, this is a full teardown and redo for Kansas Expressway. The road is expected to see major improvements, although the lanes will not be widened, there will be new asphalt so you don't need 4x4 tires to drive downtown.
         MoDot is recommending to drivers that they should not drive down Kansas Expressway whenever possible. Drivers who need to go downtown to work or school should avoid this section of road whenever possible. If you do not absolutely need to go down this section of road, do not go down it, find an alternate route.