Forum Boulevard improvement project is stilling waiting for start date
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Forum Boulevard Improvement Project was supposed to take place years ago, but faced delays due to the cost and size of the project.
The project was first proposed in August 2015 and was supposed to start in the summer of 2026. However, the project has been pushed back to the summer or spring of 2027.
Columbia Public Works spokesman John Ogan said the Ccty is currently working to secure easements needed for the project. Once easements are acquired and the bidding process is complete, Ogan said the Ccty will be able to determine when construction can begin.
“An easement is part of the process the city takes in order to acquire part of the city property in order to provide infrastructure along that route,” Ward 5 Councilwoman Christina Hartman said. “It’s the city’s way of asking for additional space in order to provide that public transit area.”
The improvement project runs through both Wards 4 and 5. Hartman said the project is an opportunity to improve infrastructure as well as the safety of the area.
“What they’re going to be doing is improving the traffic flow and reducing some of the issues that occur along that road, along with widening the road and making it safer for not only cars but pedestrians as well,” said Hartman.
Ogan said several things can delay the start date even further; those include changes to the original plan, delays in securing easements, or delays in the bidding process.
Once the project starts it is estimated to take roughly one year to complete. The project’s estimated cost has also increased to $13.5 million; data from July 2026 previously estimated it at $12.3 million.
According to a city memo citing July 2026 data, the project will make the road a four-lane section, with lanes in both directions. Construction will take place for a new bridge over Hinkson Creek. Two roundabouts will be added at Katy Lane and Woodrail/Crestwood. Bike lanes and sidewalks will also be added.
The city’s website does state that medians will be added to locations of the roads that experience higher accident rates. Ogan said that because the project features are still in the preliminary phase, he could not confirm any specific features that will be added.
Hartman said potential features of the project would help keep drivers of that area as safe as possible.
“The goal is to reduce that potential for collision as much as possible,” Hartman said.
This project runs through the 2900 block of Forum Boulevard, near Wilson’s Fitness Center, where a fatal crash occurred Aug. 22.
ABC 17 News obtained a crash report on Wednesday through a prior records request.
The report shows 46-year-old Darrin Stokes, of Columbia, died in the crash. The report says Stokes was traveling north in his 2010 Chevrolet Malibu when he crossed the center line and hit a 2012 Chevrolet Impala head-on.
Stokes was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other driver – Mary Schlenk, 78, of Columbia, — had serious injuries and was brought to an area hospital, the report says. The report claims neither driver wore a seatbelt.
On that specific stretch of Forum Boulevard, this improvement project would potentially add a raised median.
Hartman said community members she has spoken to have expressed their concerns for the road and the safety of it.
“The people that I spoke to along Forum, they are definitely want this project to go through,” Hartman said. “They have had concerns for this area for quite some time. And so, having that project come to fruition is going to be really important for the community.”
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