Community group says Business Loop 70 study grant will ‘reinvigorate’ area

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council last week approved an agreement to receive a $2.13 million grant from the US Department of Transportation.

USDOT announced in March press release that the city would receive the money to study Business Loop 70 between Stadium Boulevard and Eastland Circle to find ways to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians, improving accessible multi-modal operations, providing aesthetics along the corridor and improving economic vitality along the roadway.

Business Loop 70 is maintained by Missouri Department of Transportation. The City of Columbia filed an application for the study last year, in which it requested $2.5-3 million.

The Oct. 7 City Council agenda says that the city will provide $500,000 for the study, which is funded through the capital improvement sales tax. Money from USDOT was provided through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant.

“The Business Loop was once a vibrant commercial corridor and gateway into Columbia. After the construction of Interstate 70 in the 1960s, the street became a five-lane barrier to residents seeking a place to stop and gather. Our goal is to restore that sense of neighborhood and community to The Loop,” a Tuesday press release from the Business Loop 70 Community Improvement District says. “This plan will bring us closer to reinvigorating the corridor, connecting a number of historically disadvantaged and underserved communities, and supporting a growing network of community services, education opportunities, and commercial centers along the Business Loop.”