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City council authorizes two sidewalk projects connecting neighborhoods and schools
Summary
Columbia City Council authorized staff to proceed with construction of a 5-foot sidewalk on Vandiver Drive and a 5-foot sidewalk on Oakland Gravel Road, projects funded primarily by a MoDOT TAP grant and the city's quarter-cent capital improvement sales tax.
The Columbia City Council on Feb. 3 authorized staff to proceed with construction of two pedestrian-improvement projects: a 5-foot concrete sidewalk along the south side of Vandiver Drive between Oakland Gravel Road and Parker Street, and a 5-foot concrete sidewalk along the west side of Oakland Gravel Road between Blue Ridge Road and Smiley Lane.
The Vandiver Drive project will tie into an existing sidewalk near the Parker Street roundabout and include an improved signal with pedestrian signage and a marked crosswalk at Vandiver and Oakland Gravel. Public Works Director Shane Creech said the Vandiver segment was designed so it can later be extended to connect to a possible future trail along the old Colt Railroad. The estimated cost is about $682,000; 80 percent is expected from the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant and the remaining 20 percent from the city’s quarter-cent capital improvement sales tax. Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2026.
The Oakland Gravel project will link existing sidewalks constructed by earlier public-works projects and provide continuous connections among three schools, a park and a clinic. Creech said the project had an interested-parties meeting on Dec. 11, 2024. The estimated cost is about $517,000 with the same 80/20 TAP-to-city funding split. Staff indicated construction could begin in summer 2026 but easement acquisition may delay the start into fall.
Councilmembers asked about project prioritization and how Vandiver was selected for the current TAP application; staff said the city coordinates an “unfunded needs” list with MoDOT and applies for grants where mutual interest exists. Councilmembers expressed support for both projects’ connectivity and safety benefits. The council voted to authorize staff to proceed with each project; both motions passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The city’s engineering manager for the projects, Lisonbee Anderson, attended the meeting and staff said they would answer technical questions as design moves forward.
The projects are part of the city’s sidewalk master plan and follow an interested-parties outreach process that included meetings on Dec. 11, 2024. Additional scheduling and easement work remain before construction contracts are advertised.
