Missouri Western students traveling east will no longer have to take the long way home.  Mitchell Ave. will re-open completely from Western’s main entrance to Riverside Rd. Friday, Sept. 28 if the weather permits.

Since June 5, construction paid for by TIF (tax increment financing) funds from American Family Insurance has inconvenienced many Western students and staff.
 
Casey Patton, Bartlett and West Engineers Inc., location manager, has been supervising the construction all summer. 

“It’s been a long summer and we wish we would have been done sooner, but the construction ran into some unknown conditions,” Patton said.  “We’d like to thank everyone for their patience and we are glad it is almost over.”

Patton said the curb work is almost finished and the rock base has been set for the asphalt to be laid this week. 

“Hopefully we’ll see some blacktop down and the road will be open,” Patton said.

Rain is the only concern the crew is worried about.  Patton said that when weather becomes an issue, one day of rain could equal almost two days of delay.  If rain becomes a factor, Patton said the rest of Mitchell would re-open by the first week in October.

 “This is a win-win for American Family and Missouri Western.” Lonnie Johnson, Missouri Western’s director of facilities said.

Johnson said there have been mild concerns by students and staff but he feels for the most part everyone has been very understanding.

Missouri Western has been working along side as partners with American Family during the construction.  Western, though, has not had to pay for any of the construction improvements. 

Johnson said during the planning phases, Western insisted American Family place a temporary stoplight at Faraon St.ing along side as partners with American Family during the construction.

Western, though, has not had to pay for any of the construction improvements.  Johnson said during the planning phases, Western insisted American Family place a temporary stoplight at Faraon St. and James McCarthy Dr. Johnson said Western put in a request for the city to place a permanent traffic signal at this location, but currently there is not enough traffic flow.  Johnson hopes they will take another survey and re-evaluate the intersection after the construction is complete.

Mitchell Ave. was completely closed from Woodbine Rd. to 50th St. while the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) took advantage of American Family’s construction to resurface the Mitchell Bridge.  The bridge was repaved and expanded to include barricaded sidewalks for pedestrians to cross the bridge.

Elaine Justus, the community relations manager for MoDOT said, “We believe it is a great improvement over what was there before.”
Construction will continue along the sides of Mitchell after the street’s re-opening, but impact on traffic should be minimal.