From the Roundtable: Broadening Broadway is in the best interest of ALL Columbians

The Broadway narrative is well known. The street that runs through the center of Columbia dates from the antebellum era when it was the Old Trails Road, is the second-removed uncle to Interstate 70. To widen or not to widen a controversial stretch of this thoroughfare has been a community question for decades. But now, a resolution is close at hand, and some sort of “improvement” is perhaps a few years away.
My position has been consistent: following historically well-known examples in Kansas City, we should completely transform West Broadway into a wider boulevard between Aldeah Avenue and Clinkscales Road. We should create a beautifully landscaped street that buries all utilities and is complemented by environmentally correct lighting. With the objective of safety and consistent traffic flow in mind, Broadway should be broadened to provide two traffic lanes in each direction with additional turning lanes and other controls as is deemed prudent.
Opposition to such a sensible proposal in dealing with the West Broadway conundrum is considerable. The blogosphere reigns hot with commentary. This has been a controversial item charged with the electricity of a third rail that city officials have balked for decades at touching lest they be thrown out.
Project Broadway was fast-tracked  two years ago, when the voice of a single citizen at a council meeting stirred the city to engage a recognized consultant. Correctly measuring traffic on many – but I will argue – not all of Columbia’s key arterial streets, the consultant may have concluded what he was told to say and not what really should be done about this vexing issue.
That Broadway is one of Columbia’s key transverse arteries is a given. It is also well known that a narrower portion of West Broadway is a major traffic constrictor. The unanswered question is this: How many prospective West Broadway users go out of their way to avoid using the street even though it may be the shortest route to take to a given destination?
I believe – and this is based on anecdotal evidence – that West Broadway congestion  is one of the reasons why afternoon traffic on South Providence Road is often backed up from Stadium Boulevard to Stewart Road and then some. Drivers dissuaded from using West Broadway instead go south on Providence and then continue their westward trek on Stadium Boulevard. On the north side, Columbia’s other de facto cross-town expressway – Interstate 70 – performs a similar function for another group of inbound or outbound drivers.
Now into this stew of planning and execution for Broadway’s future come the so-called stakeholders. Most of us can appreciate the balance that exists between the authoritarian nature of city governance and management and dozens and dozens of citizen boards and commissions seasoned by the participation of dozens of neighborhood groups.
Following form, the West Broadway “improvement” process began a few weeks ago when the city selected a relatively small number of neighborhood stakeholders for an advisory ensemble. They have already met once. Then – piqued because they were initially ignored – a veritable orchestra of other neighborhood organization members and interested parties weighed in.
Excuse me, but every resident of Columbia has a stake in what we do about West Broadway! We might as well add everyone who lives in Boone and the surrounding counties of the Greater Columbia trade area. All of us should be part of the process in determining what to do about improving West Broadway, not only for the present but for generations to come.
Do I sense a movement here for a sensible, forward-thinking course of action on what to do about West Broadway? The city says the street has to be fixed because its infrastructure is crumbling. Then there’s a whisper that funds may not be available right now.
Time out! Another pause may be helpful so all the stakeholders of Columbia can weigh in on creating the West Broadway of the future.