The finishing touch on a project that was years in the making ended up taking only 8 1/2 minutes as city crews made quick work of the wood poles that once held overhead distribution lines for phones, cable, and power.
The stretch of the Business Loop from I-70 to Mizzou North had largely been undergrounded, save for a key area at the Madison/Parkade intersection. When Jack Miller of True Media purchased the former Commerce Bank building as it’s new home, it presented the perfect opportunity for a partnership. As part of his redevelopment project, Miller placed the underground conduit that would allow the city, Mediacom and CenturyLink to remove their overhead distribution lines and place them underground.
The project was recently completed when Columbia Water and Light pulled the handful of empty wood poles still standing at the intersection. After years of preparation, each pole only took about 8 1/2 minutes to remove.
The City of Columbia has long-term plans to underground distribution lines along the remainder of Business Loop. The next phase, which would take the project to Providence, is underway now. The final two phases are on the city’s long term Capital Improvements Plan but are not funded.
The Loop Community Improvement District will be working to keep the corridor on the city’s priority list, particularly when it comes to projects that will help increase The Loop’s attractiveness or bring it’s aging infrastructure up to par with the rest of the city. The CID will also be taking advantage of other similar opportunities to use private redevelopment to leverage larger civic projects.
See the Water and Light crew in action.
