Route 66 Plaza Streetscape Ceremonial Groundbreaking

The City of Springfield and the West Central Neighborhood Alliance held a ceremony for the Route 66 Plaza Streetscape at College Street and Broadway Avenue recently.

The groundbreaking is the prelude to a full weekend of celebrating Springfield’s claim to fame as the Birthplace of Route 66, with 2016 festival Aug. 12-14.

This project, expected to begin October 2016, will stretch along College Street from the intersection of Broadway Avenue west to the Birthplace of Route 66 Roadside Park. Planned improvements include a new pedestrian plaza at the northwest corner of the intersection, crosswalks, ADA-compliant sidewalks,landscaping and street trees, decorative street lighting, utility improvements and on-street parking. It is funded through a federal Transportation AlternativesProgram (TAP) grant and the voter-approved 1/4-cent Capital Improvements Sales Tax.