Sidewalk repairs on Providence delay traffic

Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation are updating sidewalks along Providence Road in Columbia, working from Vandiver Drive all the way to Route K in the south.

Crews will also soon begin work on College Avenue from Business Loop 70 to Stadium Boulevard.

Crews are repairing sidewalks and adding crossing signals to make them compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

Jerry D. Koch Jr. said these repairs can make a difference for people such as his girlfriend, who survived a stroke.

“I haven’t seen width being an issue, but the shifts in the place in concrete can be a stumble issue for some people,” he said. “Especially those who have … ataxia, where they have instability.”

Aaron Peck, resident engineer with MoDOT, said updating the crossing signals provides more security for pedestrians.

“It helps establish right of way so that vehicular traffic knows that the pedestrian has right of way at that time and they have precedence in the intersection,” Peck said.

The work has caused lane closures, delaying traffic on one of the city’s busiest streets. Drivers should expect lane closures off and on until the project’s completion.

“We are intentionally doing drops outside of peak times. We’re not allowing them to have lane drops up between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and then 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” Peck said.

The lane and sidewalk closures have affected many pedestrians and drivers.

“Well I noticed when I was out trying to pay bills today there was a bit of a bottleneck that I didn’t expect and so it kind of put a little hitch in my timing,” Koch said.

Despite these hiccups, Koch said he is still happy the work is being done.

“I am glad to see they are finally getting some major improvements going,” Koch said.

The work on Providence Road is not expected to be completed until August 2020, while the work on College Avenue should be finished by December this year.

The work on both roads will cost a total of $3.5 million.