Columbia City Council approves Carter Lane sidewalk project

UPDATE: The Columbia city council unanimously approved the project on Carter Lane at its meeting Monday night.

Columbia Public Works director Dave Nichols said the project will include a bus shelter near the Macadoodles store on Carter Lane. Bus routes will be reconfigured, and the two stops on Providence Road in the area will be removed.

Kui Zou, a visiting scholar to the University of Missouri, died in 2015 while trying to cross Providence Road from the bus stops.

Fourth Ward councilman Ian Thomas said the city should consider building a roundabout on Providence Road in that area. The new roundabout could direct traffic onto both Carter Lane on the east side of the road and the outer road near the Stoney Creek Inn and Waffle House on the west side.

ORIGINAL: Residents living near and on Carter Lane said several people use the lane to walk and run daily, and they’ve seen many close-calls.

Nursing student Ryan Franklin, said he runs on it and it can be frightening.

“It’s nerve-racking,” he said.

He said he has gotten smart about it thought and runs against the traffic.

But, today, others were walking and running with the traffic, with headphones on, making it difficult for drivers to see and communicate with the pedestrians.

Other neighbors said they would really like to see a sidewalk; they explained that there are several apartments in the area with students without cars.

Columbia Public Works said the project will consist of a six-foot wide sidewalk with a curb from Huntridge Drive to Foxfire Drive.

They said it will cost about $350,000 to complete, and if it is approved they will begin construction next Spring, lasting two-three months.

Public Works said they have the funds to pay for it; they will pay 20 percent, while MoDOT will pay the remaining 80 percent of the project.