The westbound I-44 to southbound Highway 65 (Exit 82A) ramp in Springfield will close at 11:30 Wednesday night and re-open at 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
MoDOT says contractor crews are closing the ramp to repair a guardrail.
I-44 and Highway 65 will remain open while the ramp is closed.
Drivers are urged to find alternate routes.
Electronic message boards located near the planned road work will alert drivers to any changes in the work schedule.
One of the suspects in the death of Cassidy Rainwater has a new attorney.
At a hearing held Tuesday, Timothy Norton’s attorney, Brandon Twibell, stepped down as Norton’s defense and Thomas Kirsch from Jefferson City was assigned to the case.
Both Twibell and Kirsch were hired through the public defenders office.
Norton was not present at the hearing.
After four decades of planning, one of the most talked about road construction projects in Springfield and Greene County is close to getting started.
The Greene County Commission says the contractor, Emery Sapp & Sons, can begin mobilizing equipment on Wednesday.
MoDOT approved their bid of $15.7 for Phase 1 construction, almost $6 million under the engineer’s cost estimate of $21.6 million.
The project will be divided into two phases.
Phase 1 is from Republic Road to Plainview Road.
Phase 2 is from Plainview Road to Farm Road 190.
All construction on the first phase is required to be done by November 1, 2023.
Phase 2 work should start in the winter of 2023, and be finished in the spring of 2025.
The extension of Kansas Expressway features a new two-lane road with turning lanes at major intersections, new stormwater improvements, and a pedestrian and bicycle path along the corridor.
A majority of the project, 80%, will be funded with federal transportation money, with 20% to be paid by Greene County.
The city of Springfield is also a cost share partner because the northern part of the extension falls within the city limits.
Planning for extending Kansas Expressway began in the early 1980’s, when both Greene County and the city of Springfield recommended a major thoroughfare plan south of Route M.
The project was approved after several feasibility studies over the years, with environmental assessments and right of way plans now being finalized, clearing the way for construction in 2022.
Springfield Police have arrested a man wanted for pointing a gun at officers at a convenience store early Monday morning.
Talon Williams was taken into custody around 4 p.m on South Thelma Street.
An officer spotted Williams’ spray-painted van at the Fast and Friendly near Kansas and Division.
When they tried to approached him about an outstanding warrant, he pointed a gun at them.
Officers fired shots but he drove away.
They found his van abandoned at Campbell and Nichols.
SWAT teams search houses on Lyons and Hovey Streets before locating him.
Four grades at Boyd Elementary were sent back home Monday after several staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
The Springfield Public School District says the handful of teachers received their positive results on Monday morning before parents began dropping off their kids.
The new cases lead to all Kindergarten, First, Fourth, and Fifth Grade students being sent home for a virtual day of class instead of meeting in person.
A body found in rural Dade County on December 15th has been identified as 69-year-old Billy Mack Walker of Galena.
Sheriff Max Huffman says Walker’s unclothed body was found in the Sac River bottom 20 to 25 feet from a county road by a person walking in the area.
Huffman says Walker’s last known address was in Galena and that his family has been notified.
Springfield police are searching for a suspect who pointed a gun at officers.
Police noticed a van parked outside of the Fast N Friendly on north Kansas Expressway Monday morning.
Officers approached the van after learning the driver, 29-year-old Talon Williams, had outstanding warrants.
When they got to the van, police say Williams pointed a gun at them, then drove off.
The officers fired several shots at the van.
The vehicle was later found at Campbell and Calhoun in Springfield, but Williams was not inside.
Heavy rains throughout the day has caused flooding in some areas.
Emergency management in Taney and Howell Counties have reported some water rescues.
Taney County says one rescue took place along Roark Creek.
Howell County Emergency management reported a rescue along Indian Creek near County Road 5710.
The superintendent of the Kirbyville School District and some other administrators are pulling double duty this week.
Four teachers are out with COVID-19 and a shortage of substitute teachers has forced the administrators of the small Taney County district to fill in as teachers.
Superintendent Carless Osbourne says the spirit of Kirbyville is “everyone pulls together.”
The Springfield R-12 School District and other local schools are advising parents of a TikTok trend promoting threats of violence across the county on Friday.
Law enforcement says these threats are likely not credible, but many of those agencies are providing increased security patrols in and around schools for the day.
Some districts in the country called off class altogether on Friday.
Springfield Schools released a statement saying the threats associated with the social media trend are not specific to SPS or other schools, but they’ve generated concern across the nation.
The district is asking parents to closely monitor their child’s use of social media and make sure kids understand threats of any kind are unacceptable and will result in significant consequences.