Safety improvements along East Sunshine Street have been talked about for years. After pushback from businesses over the installation of new safety medians and adjusting plans, the Missouri Department of Transportation will get work underway starting Monday, Nov. 2.
MoDOT's improvement project spans 4.2 miles, from Glenstone Avenue to Farm Road 199, and seeks to make Sunshine Street safer by improving pedestrian crossings, adjusting intersections and reducing left turns outside of signalized intersections. Sunshine Street east of Glenstone has the highest crash rate of all five-lane roadways in Springfield and more than double the state average, according to previous News-Leader reporting.
According to a MoDOT news release, work will start east
of U.S. 65 before making its way west. Construction is anticipated to be complete by June 30, 2028, though weather conditions and work delays could affect this timeline. The construction will be completed by D&E Plumbing & Heating LLC, Nixa for $6.5 million. In total, including design and other preliminary work, the project costs exceed $10 million.
What the project will entail
The project includes several segments of new sidewalks, replaced driveways and more accessible pedestrian infrastructure. Here's what to expect:
- New westbound right turn lane at Enterprise Avenue and a full signal rebuild including accessible pedestrian signals and flashing yellow arrows for left turns at this intersection;
- Partial driveway removals at Captain D's and Qdoba by Ventura Avenue;
- New HAWK signal pedestrian crossing at Southern Bank east of Woodward Avenue;
- Removal of one driveway at the Verizon store;
- New eastbound right turn lane and westbound U-turn area at Mayfair Avenue;
- New eastbound turn lane onto Ingram Mill Road and a new eastbound U-turn area at that intersection as well as a driveway removal at Commerce Bank facing Sunshine;
- At the Walmart Neighborhood Market near Blackman Road, medians will be installed to prohibit exiting left turn from Walmart driveway, a new westbound right turn lane and an eastbound U-turn area will be added.
Raised medians will be placed in four areas: at Enterprise Avenue, Meadowview Avenue, Ingram Mill Road and east of U.S. Highway 65. According to past News-Leader reporting, these medians will look similar to others found around Springfield, be 8 inches high and 4 feet wide, and include an enhanced look with a red stamped pattern.
During construction, drivers can expect lane closings, narrowed lanes and traffic shifts and occasional delays. During the intersection work, turn lanes may be closed at times, according to MoDOT.
The plans to add raised medians along the corridor have drawn criticism from business owners along the street who expressed concerns about lost revenue and impacts to delivery traffic. Because of these concerns, MoDOT updated the original plans unveiled in 2023 to reduce the number of segments of Sunshine that will receive raised medians and to cut down on the number of full driveway closures. Even so, when the project was presented to Springfield City Council in December 2025, opposition to the medians remained, including from state representatives and former Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott.
Ultimately, council did not object to MoDOT's revised plan late last year. This differed from 2023 when council, at that time of a different makeup, passed a resolution urging the state agency to abandon plans to add medians. The city has limited legislative power to influence the state agency. While the east portion of Sunshine falls under MoDOT's jurisdiction, the city is contributing roughly $200,000 for a portion of sidewalk improvements and possible aesthetic adjustments to the medians.
Additional information and project updates can be found on MoDOT's Sunshine Street East Corridor website.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Work to make Springfield's East Sunshine Street safer starts next week
