Intersection Closed For Major Remodel

CITY ASKS RESIDENTS TO FOLLOW DETOUR SIGNS

PRAIRIE — Work started this week to reconstruct the intersection of Viney Grove Road and Bush Street into a four-way stop.

The intersection will remain closed throughout construction, which is expected to last five or six months, and the city is asking people to use a detour route map to get around the closure.

In particular, the city is asking people not to use the high school parking lot as a shortcut to bypass the closed intersection. The parking lot should only be used by high school staff, students and others who have a reason to be at the school.

Emory Sapp and Sons Construction of Joplin, Mo., (formerly Hutchens Construction) received the contract for the project with a low bid of about $1.3 million. The project also includes turn lanes, drainage, curb and gutter and sidewalks.

Larry Oelrich, city administrative assistant, said Sapp and Sons had planned to start work Feb. 21 and had put up signs and barricades to let the public know about the closure. However, with the pending weather forecast last week, the company then decided to wait, removed the barricades and reopened the intersection to traffic.

The new intersection is Phase 1 of the city’s plan to extend Viney Grove Road to Buchanan Street. The construction firm has an 180-day contract to complete the project.

“The goal of everybody is that they get done on contract time because of school starting in August,” Oelrich said.

Phase 2 is the actual extension of Viney Grove Road. Prairie Grove School District already started the extension with the new middle school building, scheduled to open for the 2022-23 school year. The city is paying to extend the street the rest of the way to Buchanan.

Phase 2 is estimated to cost more than $2 million, and city officials have made some changes to the design plans to help reduce the costs. Oelrich said the city plans to advertise for bids for the road extension sometime this summer.

Oelrich said the city is using street improvement bond money, street funds and possibly street reserve funds to finish out the two phases.