Traffic rolls on ‘Horsepower Drive’
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. President and CEO Masanobu (Matt) Kurushima cuts a ceremonial ribbon Tuesday during dedication ceremonies for a newly completed 285th Street project creating paved access to the Maryville factory’s loading docks and a public southbound entry ramp onto Highway 71. The $2.2 million construction effort, 100 percent funded by Kawasaki, has been named Horsepower Drive.
A pair of dignitary-filled Kawasaki Mule four-wheelers and a red, white and blue Keane Thummel Trucking semi-trailer rig were the first vehicles to roll down “Horsepower Drive” Tuesday morning following dedication ceremonies for a newly completed street and southbound Highway 71 entrance ramp at the south end of Maryville.
The $2.2 million project, which transformed a partly paved and partly graveled portion of 285th Street, was completely funded by Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. in an effort to improve access to the factory’s loading docks and ease traffic congestion at the beginning and end of work shifts.
Horsepower Drive and the new ramp were opened to motorists shortly after the ceremony ended.
Since the project moved from the planning stages into construction early this year, the effort has been hailed by state and local government officials and economic development professionals as a prime example of corporate citizenship and public/private sector cooperation.
“I can’t emphasize enough how rare that is,” said Josh McKim, executive director of Nodaway County Economic Development, about Kawasaki’s decision to pay for what amounts to a major piece of public infrastructure.
Usually, McKim said, the formula works the other way around, as companies use their clout as large-scale employers and tax revenue generators to pressure cities into paying for improvements benefitting corporate operations.
After speaking with economic development peers in other cities about the Horsepower Drive project, McKim said he has encountered responses that border on envy.
“They’re always a little jealous that we’ve got such a great corporate citizen,” he said.
McKim also offered praise to the City of Maryville and, especially, City Manager Greg McDanel, saying it was unusual for someone with his job to “work with somebody in city government that really gets economic development.”
Other key players in the effort to turn the street-rebuild and ramp installation project into reality, McKim said, included state Sen. Dan Hegeman; state Rep. Allen Andrews; Polk Township officials, who surrendered a portion of 285th Street to city control; and the John Byland family, which owned a vital portion of right-of-way.
McKim also thanked the Missouri Department of Transportation for showing “flexibility” in supporting a project that was “a little outside of their wheelbox.”
Other speakers during the dedication included Kawasaki Motors Chief Strategic Officer Steve Bratt, who said the new road and ramp will offer plant employees additional safety and convenience by making it easier for them to hit the road at the end of the workday.
Up to now, he said, it has taken workers as long as 30 minutes to exit Kawasaki’s gigantic parking lot when the day shift ends at 3 p.m.
Anticipated improvement of 285th Street, Bratt said, including city responsibility for maintenance and snow removal, was one reason Kawasaki allowed itself to be annexed to the city limits in late 2014.
He added that, from the city’s point of view, Horsepower Drive should ease traffic volume near the South Main/Highway 71 bypass intersection and facilitate planned traffic flow and pedestrian improvements along the South Main retail corridor.
For his part, McDanel said the city looks forward to continuing to work with Kawasaki and other local industries and is committed to policies designed to encourage private-sector growth.
Andrews congratulated Kawasaki for exercising “corporate responsibility.”
“I applaud you and your exemplary company,” he said, “and all the people who have made this happen.”
Hegeman described Tuesday’s ceremony as an opportunity to “lift up and relish good corporate citizenry.”
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
A pair of Kawasaki Mule four-wheelers loaded with dignitaries, including state Sen. Dan Hegeman and state Rep. Allen Andrews, lead the way for a red, white and blue Keane Thummel Trucking semi-trailer rig during opening ceremonies Tuesday for Horsepower Drive, a new street and highway ramp at the south edge of Maryville. The project is designed to ease traffic congestion associated with the adjoining Kawasaki Motors plant and the nearby South Main Street/Highway 71 bypass intersection.
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. President and CEO Masanobu (Matt) Kurushima, left, Kawasaki’s Steve Bratt, Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel, Public Works Director C.E. Goodall and Street Superintendent Jay Cacek unveil new “Horsepower Drive” signs during Tuesday’s dedication ceremonies for a recently completed street and highway ramp project designed to ease traffic congestion at the south end of town.
