The Ozark Mountain Highroad (SR 465) was constructed in the mid-'90's in reaction to a tourism boom that occurred in Branson, but failed to relieve the congestion of SR 76.

Measure	Post project	Change	% Change
Personal Income Per Capita	0	0	N/A
Economic Distress	0	0	N/A
Number of Jobs	12,305	12,305	N/A
Business Sales (in $M's)	0	0	N/A
Tax Revenue (in $M's)	0	0	N/A
Population	0	0	N/A
Property Value (median house value)	0	0	N/A
Density (ppl/sq mi)	0	0	N/A

Measure	Pre project	Post project	Change	% Change
Personal Income Per Capita	25,840	36,676	10,836	0.42%
Economic Distress	1.77	1.46	-0.31	-0.17%
Number of Jobs	22,932	41,784	18,852	0.82%
Business Sales (in $M's)	0	4,728	0	N/A
Tax Revenue (in $M's)	0	0	0	N/A
Population	44,970	75,419	30,449	0.68%
Property Value (median house value)	0	186,312	0	N/A
Density (ppl/sq mi)	20.84	68.84	48.00	2.30%

Measure	Pre project	Post project	Change	% Change
Personal Income Per Capita	31,418	45,849	14,431	0.46%
Economic Distress	1.03	1.04	0.01	0.01%
Number of Jobs	2,993,360	3,450,210	456,850	0.15%
Business Sales (in $M's)	0	617,378	0	N/A
Tax Revenue (in $M's)	0	0	0	N/A
Population	5,128,880	5,837,640	708,760	0.14%
Property Value (median house value)	0	172,131	0	N/A
Density (ppl/sq mi)	67.36	80.74	13.38	0.20%

Measure	Direct	Indirect	Total
Jobs	0.00	0.00	0.00
Income (in $M's)	0.00	0.00	0.00
Output (in $M's)	0.00	0.00	0.00

Branson W (Ozark Mt. Highroad)

1.0 Synopsis

The Ozark Mountain Highroad (SR 465) was constructed in the mid-1990's in southwestern Missouri in response to growing tourism in Branson. Branson is known for live music, amusement parks, and outdoors activities. Unprecedented national media coverage in 1991 resulted in a swell in visitors and an increased interest in regional investment. Traffic on SR 76 (the main strip in Branson on which most attractions are located) greatly exceeded capacity, prompting the governor to expedite the construction of a bypass route (US 465) to divert traffic away from SR 76 and relieve congestion. Currently, only the northern portion of the bypass has been constructed. It has had no discernable development or employment impacts on the region to date, in part because the full bypass was never completed.

2.0 Background

2.1 Location & Transportation Connections

SR 465, also known as the Ozark Mountain Highroad, is located in the southwestern portion of Missouri in the Ozark Mountains. Although a majority of the approximately seven-mile highway is located within Taney County, the western portion of the roadway measuring less than one mile in length crosses into Stone County. Originally designed as an eighteen-mile interstate bypass for I-65 around Branson, Missouri, the southern portion has yet to be approved and constructed, effectively establishing the current route as an interstate spur. The roadway provides alternative connections between I-65 and the major amusement attractions at Silver Dollar City and the western portion of Branson.

The limited access, grade-separated, four-lane divided highway has three interchanges, with the first interchange at I-65 about five miles north of the city. SR 465 travels westward for almost three miles to an interchange with SR 248, and then begins to travel south, connecting with SR 76 at its current terminus.

2.2 Community Character & Project Context

Taney and Stone Counties together housed 48,400 jobs and had a combined population of 75,400 in 2006. Between 1990 and 2006, employment and population grew by 111% and 68% respectively, for average annual rates of job growth measuring 5% and annual population growth of 3.3%. Over the same period, annual employment growth in the state averaged 1.3% and annual population growth averaged 0.8%. The region's faster population and employment growth relative to the state is a result of the burgeoning tourism industry.

Located in the Ozark Mountains and surrounded by the White River, the damming of which has creating Lake Taneycomo, Table Rock Lake, and Bull Shoals Lake, Branson and the surrounding region have been a scenic tourist destination since the turn of the 20th century. Performance and arts entertainment activities began developing in the region in the 1950's, expanding greatly in the 1990's. Currently, the region has more than fifty theaters, offering more than one hundred shows to the public. Prior to 1991, the region had twenty-two theaters.

Branson is the economic center for the I-65 corridor in southwestern Missouri. Although Branson's population was only about 7,500 people in 2007 (US Census), Branson and the immediately surrounding region attracted an estimated 8.4 million tourists, who collectively spent $1.8 billion. In the early 1990's, annual tourist visitations to Branson and the surrounding area amounted to just over two million.

3.0 Project Description & Motives

In 1991, Branson and the surrounding attractions became a focal point of national media coverage, effectively promoting the region nation-wide for its music and outdoor attractions. Tourists, developers, investors, and performers flocked to the Branson area, causing severe congestion on Branson's main street, SR 76

In 1992, the Governor of Missouri declared the high level of congestion an "economic emergency" and called for an expedited process for creating a roadway that would relieve traffic in downtown Branson. An eighteen-mile, four-lane, divided highway was proposed to skirt the city to the west, joining with I-65 north and south of the city. Its cost was estimated at between $160 million and $185 million (1992$).

Despite a full bypass proposal, only the northern portion from I-65 north of Branson to SR 76, close to the amusement facilities at Silver Dollar City, has been funded and built. Construction on the northern section of the bypass began in 1993 and was opened to the public in August 1998, at a cost of $78.7 million. The economic growth in Branson led to increases in property values, thus escalating the price of completing the bypass due to rising land acquisition costs and difficult terrain.

4.0 Project Impacts

4.1 Transportation Impacts

4.2 Demographic, Economic & Land Use Impacts

Branson and the surrounding region have grown significantly since 1991, due to growth in tourism. The Ozark Mountain Highroad was built in response to this growth. Development immediately surrounding the Ozark Mountain Highroad, to date, has been very limited, in part because the road was never completed. It has not served to relieve congestion and stimulate new growth along SR 76. The route was not designed to accommodate or facilitate significant development immediately adjacent to the highway, and it has not done so. No new jobs have been created in the region as a result of the highway investment.

5.0 Non-Transportation Factors

A myriad of non-transportation factors have influenced the construction of SR 465, and its impacts on development. Media coverage, marketing, and promotion brought national attention to Branson, and the influx of tourists in response to this exposure led to the need for the bypass. However, new businesses have clustered along SR 76, and are not directly served by the bypass. Branson itself is nestled within the Ozark Mountains, and the terrain makes economic expansion difficult and expensive. Political support and opposition have collided throughout the project's history, and ultimately resulted in the abandonment of the southern portion of the bypass.

6.0 Resources

6.1 Citations

6.2 Interviews

Organization

City of Branson

Taney County - Road and Bridge Dpt.

Taney County Commission

Taney County - Economic Development Dpt.

MO DOT - Branson

MO DOT - Springfield

Branson Chamber of Commerce

Footnotes

Case Study Developed by Wilbur Smith Associates

Project: Branson W (Ozark Mt. Highroad)

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