Residents organize in opposition to Columbia’s Ash Street Improvement Project

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Residents along Ash Street in Columbia are organizing in opposition to the city's Ash Street Improvement Project.

According to a Facebook post, a protest is scheduled from 4 to 5 p.m. April 9 to "help keep Ash Street a safe neighborhood street."

Last week, 65 people attended an open house to learn more about the project and voice their concerns.

The project was on a list funded by a 2015 sales tax, which allocated funds for the capital improvement projects for street and sidewalk maintenance. The city estimates the total cost of the project is $3,746,600 and includes the design, easements and construction costs.

According to the city, the improvements would be along Ash Street between Clinkscales Road and First Street.

Improvements include an 8-foot-wide sidewalk along the north side of Ash Street for pedestrians and bicyclists and a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the south side of Ash Street to fill in sidewalk gaps. A bike lane would be built along the south side of Ash Street.

Rick Robertson is a resident who has lived along Ash Street for years and he says he is against the city's plan.

"What the city has proposed is not calming traffic a bit, in my opinion it's not making it any safer it's just pouring a bunch of concrete," Robertson said. "I would rather them do nothing me personally then see them turn this into the ash highway,"

Crosswalks would also be added with flashing beacons at Redwood Road, Anderson Avenue and Alexander Avenue.

The design would also require removing trees for sidewalk construction. The city says an appraiser will determine the value of trees located outside the existing right-of-way and property owners will be compensated for replacement trees.

Merrill Sapp owns property along Ash Street she said, "without the trees its gunna have a devastating impact on the quality of life in these houses,"

Sapp said the removal of the trees along Ash Street would cause an increase in energy use and energy cost during the summer because the trees are shading the south faces of the houses.

Allison Anderson, an engineer on the project who was hired by the city says sidewalk expansion and the removal of trees is to improve safety, however they did consider other options.

"Instead of a 8-foot sidewalk on the north side to a standard five-foot sidewalk and leave the bike lanes as they are now, that is kinda intermittent," Anderson said. "That might help save some trees, less sidewalk for property owners to take care of,"

Anderson said some residents are in favor of the their removal because their homes foundations are at risk.

Overall some residents want the city to just stick to the original footprint of Ash Street and keep the changes minimal.

"I just ask that they work within the footprint that they already have, no taking of yards, defiantly no cutting of trees," Robertson said. "We need traffic calming instead,"

"Not only are people speeding but people will pass if you're going the speed limit or roughly the speed limit," Sapp said. "So its a really big problem here and increasing the traffic flow, increasing the speed is the opposite of what needs to happen here,"

Other improvements include, two 11-foot driving lanes Clinkscales Road to Garth Avenue.

From Garth Ave. to First Street/Park Avenue, the city says that portion will remain as it is now, with parking and bike lanes on both sides of the road.

Those who oppose the project have gone to the city's website to leave comments.

One resident said, "No cutting down of trees, unless they are dead or diseased, and no sequestering of residents' property."

Another resident added, "If you want to improve the existing sidewalks and bike lanes, while keeping things within the existing footprint, then we are all for that. Losing yard space on either/both sides of Ash is unacceptable,"

The city says residents have until April 4 to submit their input on beheard.como.gov.

According to the city's website, a second public hearing at a City Council meeting is schedule for the sometime in the spring.

If the project is approved by the city council and if there are no major design changes, the city says construction would begin between the summer and winter of 2026.