MoDOT Starts $10.4M East Sunshine Street Project

The 19-month Sunshine Street East Corridor project will upgrade sidewalks and signals along a four-mile section in Springfield.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Construction

Yellow excavator beside a freshly cut sidewalk trench in front of a low brick commercial building, with orange traffic barrels lining an empty roadway under overcast daylight. — Missouri Department of Transportation crews broke ground Monday on a $10.4 million project upgrading sidewalks and signals along East Sunshine Street in Springfield, expected to take 19 months. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Is now a good time for road construction near local businesses, in your view?

Missouri Department of Transportation crews broke ground Monday on a $10.4-million project along East Sunshine Street between Glenstone Avenue and Farm Road 199. The work will upgrade sidewalks and signals to meet ADA requirements, with construction expected to run 19 months.

Why it matters

The project aims to improve traffic flow and safety along a major Springfield corridor while bringing sidewalks and signals into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Local businesses are weighing the effects of construction during the holiday shopping season.

The Missouri Department of Transportation's official project figures put the cost at $10.4 million over 19 months for a four-mile stretch. Specific lane-closure schedules and business-access impacts for each segment have not been itemized.

The players

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)

The state agency responsible for maintaining and building Missouri's highway system, overseeing the East Sunshine Street project.

The details

Contractor crews will dig up portions of the current sidewalk and entrances to local businesses, working in stages with concrete crews moving down the corridor as work progresses. MoDOT said closed and narrowed lanes, occasional delays and temporary turning-lane closures at intersections should be expected, and that contractors are coordinating with businesses to keep access open.

Construction broke ground on Monday, November 2, 2026.
Business owners are concerned about construction during the November-December 2026 holiday shopping season.
MoDOT expects the project to be completed in June 2028.

Construction Context

The sidewalk and signal upgrades are intended to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, which govern accessibility for public right-of-way improvements. Corridor projects like this one are being staged so that concrete crews move down the route in sections rather than closing the whole street at once.

Drivers and shoppers along East Sunshine Street should expect closed and narrowed lanes, occasional delays and temporary turning-lane closures during the 19-month project. Businesses along the corridor will see sidewalk and entrance work, and MoDOT says contractors are working to keep access to local shops open.

The takeaway

The 19-month East Sunshine Street project will bring accessible sidewalks and upgraded signals to a four-mile Springfield corridor, so drivers and shoppers should build extra time into trips through June 2028.