“This will be really a deep dive into how that corridor functions from a transportation perspective and how it interacts with the adjacent neighborhoods as well,” said Horton Hobbs IV, vice president of economic development at the Chamber of Greater Springfield.
The Transportation Coordinating Committee wants input from residents on the study and it will hold a public meeting 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 26. The meeting will be held in the Global Impact STEM Academy cafeteria, 700 S Limestone St., Springfield.
The study will cost up to $119,000. It will address safety issues, traffic patterns and intersection improvements along the corridor, according the committee’s website.
“We would like to see this be the gateway that it deserves to be,” Hobbs said.
The study will also look at ways to provide trails for bikers and walkers.
“The best way to attract development to a community is to have a plan,” he said. The chamber wants to attract new businesses, including more shopping and restaurant options.
The city of Springfield recently rezoned the South Limestone Street corridor to allow for greater development. The plans simplify the zoning in the area to allow for more uses.
Neighbors want to see changes to the area as well.
“When they come in off the interstate this is the first thing they see,” neighbor Alvin Reed said.
Improvements to the corridor would increase the number of visitors to the area, Reed said.
“Maybe some clothing stores, furniture stores,” he said. “There’s a lot of land on this end of town that they could use.”
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