Ribbon cutting celebrates reopening of W. 20th Street in Joplin

(From the City of Joplin)

The City of Joplin, Jasper County, and the Joplin Special Road District celebrated the official reopening of West 20th Street on October 23rd with a ribbon-cutting event recognizing the hard work of numerous City teams and partners.

Work on the two-mile stretch between Schifferdecker and Central City Roads began in the spring of 2025 and included a full list of major projects. Crews converted the entire roadway from two-lane corridor with open ditches to a three-lane corridor with curb and guttering and a new storm sewer system. The roadway was vertically aligned, and a 10-foot-wide multiuse path was added on the north side of the street. Two new roundabouts - one at Country Club Drive and another at Central City Road - were added to smooth traffic flow. In total, the $14.2 million project took crews 18 months to complete, with recent weeks spent on clean-up items. 

 

“This was a really phenomenal project to see come to life,” said Joplin Public Works Director Dan Johnson. “Our teams completed some major pieces and did everything within the projected timeline, and the result has been amazing.”

Major improvements to 20th Street had long been the plan for Joplin. The project has been included in Joplin’s Long-Range Transportation Plan since 2010. Funding was first approved by voters with the renewal of the 3/8-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax in 2014, with additional funds to extend the project approved by voters through the renewal of the tax in 2024.

The original goal was to make improvements from Schifferdecker Road to Country Club Drive. With numerous major tornado recovery projects in motion, it would take the City some time to come back to 20th Street – but it was a pause that allowed the project to expand. When Joplin received post-pandemic American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funds in 2021, the 20th Street budget increased. Jasper County contributed ARPA funding of its own, and additional monies came from the Joplin Special Roads District. With more funding in place, the project scope was expanded to Central City Road – a popular entry point for traffic coming from Kansas. 

Joplin worked with design partner Allgeier, Martin and Associates and contractor Emery Sapp & Sons. In the end, crews laid approximately 10,000 linear feet of new storm sewer pipe, 110 new storm sewer inlet structures, 22,000 tons of asphalt pavement, and 17,000 linear feet of new curb and guttering.

“Like so many of our public works projects over the past few years, the 20th Street widening project began with one vision and became something so much better thanks to ARPA funding,” said Joplin City Manager Nick Edwards. “The City was prepared with its list of needs and the construction boom we’ve experienced due to that preparedness has been historic. It’s incredible to see what our crews and partners have done to transform 20th Street and improve the travel experience on that side of Joplin.”