Wally Kennedy: Bridge project poses sight to behold

Sep. 9—Watching the behavior of motorists when they encounter something different and how they react to it can be quite entertaining.

The closing of the Range Line Road bridge that spans the Kansas City Southern Railroad at 29th Street is a good example. I spent a little time earlier this week observing how motorists were reacting to the closure.

When I saw vehicles heading north on Range Line from the East 32nd Street intersection, I had to see where they were going.

Many of them saw it as an opportunity to confirm what they had been told, that the bridge, in fact, had been closed. They would drive up to the barricades, take a look and turn around. Some would turn into the entrance at Andy's Frozen Custard and then drive south past Bricktown Brewery and Freddy's to reemerge on Range Line Road. Some would stop for something to eat.

Others would turn off Range Line at East 29th Street, which remains open to traffic. From there, they would connect with Arizona Avenue and then East 26th Street to Connecticut Avenue. At Connecticut Avenue, many of these motorists turned right and then turned right again at East 24th Street to head back to Range Line. Some continued to East 20th where they turned right to head to Range Line.

The closure of the bridge has clearly impacted the traffic counts in two residential neighborhoods along East 24th and East 26th, and a large part of Connecticut Avenue. The message here is to slow down and be respectful of the people who live in these neighborhoods. This is going to be a challenging three months for them.

But that's on the west side of Range Line. What about the east side?

If you travel east on 32nd Street and want to turn north on Davis Boulevard to connect with East 20th Street and then Range Line, you can't. The turn lane is blocked with orange uprights. I saw more than one motorist make a U-turn there to head back to Davis. Most ventured farther east to Stephens Boulevard where they found a place to turn around near the entrance to General Mills and then head back west to Davis Boulevard.

If you want to get a good look at what's involved with this project, a good view of the work can be seen where East 29th reaches Range Line.

I counted eight earth movers and a dozer at work. One of the earth movers was on the railroad tracks below the bridge. From this perspective, you can see how the bridge is being widened to create sidewalks on both sides of the new bridge.

The plan is to reopen the bridge in early December.

On the market

Two properties on Range Line Road are on the market.

One of them is the former Mazzio's Pizza at 320 S. Range Line Road. It closed in July 2013. There were three Mazzio's in Joplin at one time.

They started out as Ken's Pizza in 1961. The chain was founded by a schoolteacher named Ken Selby who opened a restaurant named The Pizza Parlor in Tulsa, Oklahoma. By 1975, there were more than 100 franchise locations. By the end of the 1970s, Selby had conceived of a new business model that called for more casual dining space, an expanded menu and a salad bar. That model was Mazzio's Pizza. The chain grew to more than 165 locations.

The property is being handled by Jonathon Leach with Keller Williams Elevate, 417-623-9900.

The other property is at the southeast corner of Seventh Street and Range Line. A building constructed in 1980 to house a Pearle Vision center has been demolished. Years ago, this property was home to the Flying A Service Station.

The property, located at 701 S. Range Line Road is being handled by Mellinger Commercial Real Estate, 417-823-8855.

Third Thursday resumes

The September Third Thursday, featuring the Green & Gold with Missouri Southern State University, will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 15 in downtown Joplin.

MSSU takes over the downtown this month to paint the town green and gold. Visit all the MSSU department booths and listen to the marching band.

Third Thursday is a free community event for all ages, featuring local artisans, music, entertainment and food in a street-fair atmosphere.

Contact Wally Kennedy at wkennedy@joplinglobe.com.