WHY DOES THE ALLIANCE EXIST?

1. We need a North-South corridor to alleviate traffic issues between Greene and Christian counties.
2. There will only be one route funded in our lifetime; taxpayers deserve for it to be the right one.
3. Greene County has spent $3,000,000 acquiring roadway for the Kansas Expressway extension.  They now want to compound that mistake by spending 10X that amount on a route that does not solve the needed North-South travel needs to justify their error in spending tax payer money on the wrong route.
4. Kansas Expressway is already too congested at peak times and cannot handle the influx of cars proposed.  This is simply redirecting a problem on Campbell one mile to the west.  Greene County has not been able to address how Kansas Expressway can handle the extra cars.  The response given by the former Presiding Commissioner was ‘side roads’.  This embarrassingly misguided answer shows Greene County has no metric to quantify what will happen.
5. The Ozarks Transportation Organization (OTO) commissioned a North-South Corridor study that Greene County has used to justify their choice in choosing Kansas Expressway over three other options.  
   1. What troubles the alliance is the taxpaying respondents in the study chose FF/West Bypass/US160 as their route of choice, which actually moves traffic via a western route; away from the problem traffic on Campbell Road.
   2. Campbell was the people’s second choice and the desired route of the City of Nixa.  This route makes more sense to develop south of Plainview than spending on Kansas Expressway. Up to 80% of Nixa area residents come into Springfield to work.)
   3. The third choice was Kansas Expressway.  Who chooses the 3rd choice when the first two are available?  Greene County did – which represents their bias in the search because the only route they own right-of-way of the four choices was….Kansas Expressway.  Greene County’s pre-purchase of land possibly violates the National Environmental Policy Act and requires investigation.
6. Kansas Road/FR145 literally parallels the planned Kansas Expressway extension between Republic Road and Weaver but is not used today to alleviate traffic from Campbell via Weaver as it only dumps traffic into an already crowded intersection at Republic Road & Kansas Expressway.  Almost as close on the other side to the west is Cox Road which parallels the route even further south to Nixa.  Planning a North-South route that is placed between two existing streets does not move traffic, it just funnels more cars into the same junction point which is Republic Road.
7. The proposed Kansas Expressway expansion route affects 4X as many residential neighborhoods as FF and 2X as many schools; as stated in the OTO’s North-South Corridor study.
8. The proposed Kansas Expressway expansion route yields minimal commercial development opportunities to gain additional sales tax.  Of the four routes reviewed, Greene County’s choice was dead last.  The lack of business planning and concern for future tax revenue in their decision demonstrates a fundamental deficiency in their decision making and requires justification.
9. Greene County has been asked for metrics of cars/traffic alleviated from Campbell if their proposed route were built.  They have not produceed any figures which the taxpayers deserve to know in advance of construction.  This lack of data demonstrates gross mismanagement in green lighting a project without metrics and possible malpractice.
10. Weaver Road is dangerous to travel today.  Per Greene County, traffic on Weaver will increase 34.6% from Campbell (7,480 cars per day to 10,070) and 57.3% from Cox Road (4,360 cars per day to 6,860).  This creates an even more dangerous situation for residents.
11. Plainview traffic will be increased at an even more alarming rate.  From Campbell, traffic will increase 76.4% (9,540 cars per day to 16,830) and 52% from Cox Road (6,370 cars per day to 9,680).  Traffic wait times will not be improved for commuters.
12. The Kansas Expressway expansion contractually cannot be extended south of the Greene County/Christian County border until an East-West Corridor is constructed.  This road is not even on a 20-year development plan to the road will most likely terminate at Plainview or in a field.
13. For the road to be extended into Christian County, it would cost an entire year’s budget for the City of Nixa.  Nixa has no funding or plans to pay and develop this roadway to connect to the expansion.  The myth that this road would extend to Highway 14 in Nixa is a complete exaggeration used to sell their plan.  The City of Nixa fought to have Campbell improved (News-Leader June 10th, 2014) in an OTO meeting stating their displeasure in funding going to Kansas Expressway and not Campbell.
14. On December 21, 2006, the OTO’s Executive Director said that Kansas Expressway was not a wise investment of funds and also states in minutes from an OTO meeting that the route would SIGNIFICANTLY increase traffic north of James River Expressway on Kansas Expressway.  The original Greene County engineer, Kevin Lowe, who was tasked with planning the route said that the planned Kansas Expressway extension does not meet the criteria and need it is being designed for; a waste of money.  In May of 2014, Nixa Director of Planning and Development, Travis Cossey, said that the proposed Kansas Expressway extension would not provide relief off Campbell/Hwy 160.  
15. An exhaustive study of endangered bats was performed within the proposed corridor and …   Greene County has not met the requirements to fully vet the study and establish a clear path for satisfying the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.
16. Greene County published the Kansas Expressway Extension Project Draft Environmental Assessment [EA]; dated March 7, 2017.  This document was open to public comments and fully vetted by Spencer Fane environmental attorney, Thomas N. George, of Denver, Colorado.  This study was done in conjunction with local Spencer Fane attorney, Jason Smith.  Their review of Greene County’s assessment recognized numerous deficiencies and possible violations of the National Environmental Policy Act [NEPA] and the Endangered Species Act.  A few of the notations include:
    1. The EA does not fully, fairly, and adequately assess the proposed alternatives, including the No Action (No Build) Alternative, because the Cooperating Agencies irreversibly and irretrievably committed themselves to their preferred route.
    2. It appears as though the Cooperating Agencies may have violated NEPA by predetermining the outcome of the environmental analysis prior to conducting the EA.
    3. Greene County may have irreversibly and irretrievably committed itself to the route and the project’s proposed alignment by actively acquiring right-of-way through the Study Area over the past several decades.  Greene County and Cooperating Agencies have committed themselves to a plan of action that is dependent upon the NEPA environmental analysis producing a certain outcome – adoption of their route, before the required environmental analysis was commenced or complete.
    4. Regarding air quality, rather than focusing solely on vehicle emissions in the Study Area to justify selection of the route, the EA should also identify and assess the air quality impacts directly associated with removing 45 acres of trees and replacing them with a four lane roadway in the middle of a residential community.
    5. Regarding noise, the EA falls short of identifying methods to mitigate those impacts.  This analysis is inadequate and incomplete.  Further, if the impacts cannot be mitigated, there may be significant impacts which necessitate the preparation of an environmental impact statement.
    6. Regarding biological resources and threatened and endangered species, the EA’s assessment of potential impacts to biological resources and threatened and endangered species is inadequate, incomplete, and insufficient to meet the requirements of NEPA.  If the project were to proceed on the basis of the EA, the Homeowners are concerned the project may violate NEPA and the Endangered Species Act.  Until the warranted investigations and studies are completed, neither the cooperating agencies nor the public can adequately understand the potential impacts of the project on biological resources and threatened and endangered species, and the EA is both incomplete and inadequate.
       
    7.  Regarding geology and soils, it is inappropriate and inadequate pursuant to the requirements of NEPA for the EA to identify potential impacts and hazards but fail to investigate or analyze them.  The cooperating agencies should perform the additional investigations and analyses of the geologic structures and soils in the study area in order to allow the cooperating agencies and the public to adequately assess the project’s potential impacts not only to geology and soils, but also to a number of other interconnected and related resources.
       
    8. Regarding architectural, archaeological, cultural and historic resources, it is inappropriate and inadequate pursuant to the requirements of NEPA to complete an EA, select a preferred route, and/or proceed with the project without fully ascertaining the potential impacts of the project.
       
    9. Regarding construction impacts, because the proposed construction activities will take place over a period of 20 years or more, even minimal impacts – such as impacts to air quality, water quality, and protected habitat – should be assessed over the span of the proposed project construction timeline.  The potential impacts in this regard merit further analysis and explanation.
       
    10. Regarding indirect and cumulative impacts, the study does not include the entirety of Weaver Road or Plainview between the project and Campbell Avenue, and does not include a meaningful portion of connecting roads beyond the southern terminus of the project.  As a result, the EA fails to adequately assess the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts to these surrounding roadways.  To adequately analyze the indirect and cumulative impacts of the proposed project, the study area should be expanded beyond Campbell on the east and further south beyond the project’s southern terminus.
        
        
        
        
        
        

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

We need volunteers to hand out flyers, spread the word by talking to your neighbors, SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION, put up a yard sign, send a letter to our city comissioner, share our FACEBOOK page with all of your family and friends, or DONATE MONEY.  Contact us through email or message us on our Facebook page.  We need everyones help to make our voices heard and stop this extension.  

Volunteer today!