SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In the Spring of 2024, MoDOT will start work on an $8 million project focusing on a four-mile stretch of East Sunshine between Glenstone Avenue and Farm Road 199.

“These improvements that we’re proposing for the safety and operational, is strictly to reduce the crashes and improve the flow of traffic on sunshine, make it a good experience for the people who drive it every day,” MoDOT Transportation Project Manager Kristi Bachman said.

During a five-year period, Bachman said MoDOT recorded 728 crashes between Glenstone and Farm Road 199, which is just east of the city. Of those crashes, roughly 80 percent were caused by a driver trying to make a left turn or rear-ending another car. During that study, MoDOT was able to determine countermeasures to help prevent crashes and ease traffic flow.

“We have about five traffic signals intersections that we’re doing improvements to,” Bachman said. “We’re also adding some right turn lanes to help traffic at some of those high locations where traffic is turning right. We’re adding accessible pedestrian push buttons and enhancing the pavement markings.”

MoDOT also plans on adding raised medians in areas with the most crashes. The agency said there are other corridors in Springfield that have medians similar to the ones being put in place on Sunshine:

  • South Glenstone from Sunset to James River Freeway
  • National from Battlefield to James River Freeway
  • Sunset from Fort to Fremont
  • West Bypass from I-44 to James River Freeway

Bachman said the safety improvements will cost about $2.5 million.

“We’ve got that nice prime real estate with being right here off of Sunshine and with Glenstone just right down the road,” Store Manager of Pet Supplies Plus Tristan Mayer said. He said his store has witnessed several accidents on Sunshine. “Whether it be just reckless driving or with just a multitude of businesses that are right here and just how hard it is just to turn in.”

Mayer is hopeful the improvements will help keep drivers safe.

“I definitely would say a median would definitely eliminate a lot of that speeding down the roads as well as kind of give everybody at a comfort of I can turn and I can drive,” Mayer said.

MoDOT is expected to start the two-year project in the Spring of 2024.