The Project

The project is to repair and repave at least 8 high priority roads in Springfield. If there is a way to stretch the funds, 3 additional streets are also identified to be repaired. The Springfield City Council authorized this general obligation bond measure to be placed on the November 2018 ballot to meet these goals. 

The Bond funds are for the exclusive use of repairing these roads to extend their useful life, as well as upgrading sidewalks and ramps to meet accessibility requirements. No new roads will be built. Also, no additional staff will be hired by the city. A portion of the funds will be used to cover interest on the bond and the cost of issuance. 

These priority roads are what they call arterials and collectors, roads that almost all of us who live and work in Springfield use to commute to work, school, play, shopping, and medical facilities. Currently, potholes and crumbling surfaces are just a symptom of a larger problem with roads that have not been maintained. The funds from the county for street repairs dried up in 2007 and the community was reeling from all the effects of the housing crash and job losses during the "Great Recession". It hit Springfield hard and we are only now showing promising signs of recovery. There was no bucket to draw from for funding street maintenance. 

Fast forward to 2018, we finally feel like we are getting back on our feet. The economy is doing better, not perfect but better. We now have a street repair backlog of $35-40 million. If we do not come up with funds to repair our roads now, the cost could be 4-10 times higher to reconstruct those same roads. We feel that this is the time to act! Springfield is worth it! 

Several key streets have been identified as being in imminent need of preservation efforts. This means grinding down the top layer, making repairs, laying down a fresh coat of asphalt and upgrading ramps and sidewalks to ADA standards. Why? Because reconstructing roads are 4-10 times more expensive and much more intrusive on the lives of those that use the roads daily.