Capping the Loop

[voltopt]

As someone who lives a block from I-670 just south of the Power and Light district, I rarely notice the highway.  I would rather see buildings on the empty lots on most of the southern and northern sides of truman road.  The highway's impact is minimal, and only takes a second to cross.  Every street has a bridge, so the grid is not altered.
Further, on the weekends and at night there is barely any activity on walnut/main street, besides residents parking their cars and walking into their apartments.  I know this will change in one year, but the disconnect between the new power and light district and the crossroads is strenghtened not by the 1/2 block (if that!) highway ditch but by the multiple acres of surface parking and empty lots sweeping up and down walnut, main, 16th street, and baltimore.
I'd rather see higher railings, wider sidewalks, and a sidewalk on the north side of eastbound Truman.  I'd also like to see completely repaired roads, sidewalk trees on walnut, main, grand, baltimore, mcgee, oak, 16th, 17th, and 18th.  If its costs 200 million to cap the highway for four blocks, why not spend 150 million repairing all roads between broadway and Holmes, from Truman south to 21st, with new sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, and possibly sewers and street trees.  The other 50 million could be placed in a "Maintainance Trust" that the city could never touch, except to provide necessary repairs to this infrastructure, indefinitely.   

[chrizow]

^ EXCELLENT post. 

decking over 670 would be great when the Xroads and South Loop are so bustling that the density demands such action.  i cannot imagine this happening in the next ten years. 

[KCDowntown]

I'm all for capping the loop ASAP.  I think that the 670 loop is the main reason that we don't see any activity between downtown and the Crossroads.

KCDowntown

[chingon]

Touristy frou-frou.

[LenexatoKCMO]

I'm all for capping the loop ASAP.  I think that the 670 loop is the main reason that we don't see any activity between downtown and the Crossroads.

KCDowntown

Whats with this fiction that there is no activity between DT and xroads?  There are businesses popping up all over in the xroads up around 670 and the P&L isnt even open yet.  If anything, we have seen more spin-off development in anticipation of the district and the sprint center on the south side of 670 than we have on the north side.  And in the evenings there are probably as many pedestrians crossing 670 as there are anywhere else in the loop, especially on baltimore. 

[kcmetro]

What's the status with the bridges across 670? When are they all going to be replaced? And are they going to be much nicer like the ones crossing 71 or will they be the same-ol concrete pieces of shit with no unique design to them? I think that's a big problem with crossing 670. The bridges are too ugly and bland. Make them colorful with wide pedestrian paths and I think that would greatly improve the image and feel of crossing 670.

[Highlander]

i'd rather not do it at all if they turn truman into a six-lane mega-artery. does anyone else see the irony in that?

I thought this would be a possible outcome at first especially since there has been some speculation about being not able to build offices/residential over the capped portion of the freeway (I'm not sure why though as Bartle Hall has successfully done it.  In any event, it would be easy enough to sell the land including the current streets (north and south Truman Road) immediately north and south of the loop to developers all the way up to the edge of the canyon and replace the current streets with a single road directly over the freeway.  That frees up a fair amount of room for developement.  

While the resulting new road would still be a bit outsized, it could be developed into a boulevard with greenspace in the middle and could become the main E-W street in DT being just south of the Sprint Center and P&L District.  I could even forsee department stores etc popping along this street where north and south Truman Road currently sit.  The money raised from the selling of the land to developers could go into the fund to pay for the capping.  That's a bit of wshful thinking as land values are currently not great enough to exile surface parking lots but if the P&L District takes off and residential growth matures, the new land could be a real boon to the area and the connectivity inside and outside the loop would be greatly enhanced.      

[LenexatoKCMO]

What's the status with the bridges across 670? When are they all going to be replaced? And are they going to be much nicer like the ones crossing 71 or will they be the same-ol concrete pieces of shit with no unique design to them? I think that's a big problem with crossing 670. The bridges are too ugly and bland. Make them colorful with wide pedestrian paths and I think that would greatly improve the image and feel of crossing 670.

They are being replaced on a rolling basis.  Wyandotte and Central are about done but don't really go anywhere with all of the closures for the convention center and PAC.  They have started from the east and Oak is currently ripped out with new pillings poured.  I imagine that their plan is to have both the easternmost and westernmost bridges replaced before they turn to the ones in the center.  It won't be as big of a deal to close Grand, Main, Walnut, and Baltimore if people can get around on either side.  I don't believe they intend to do anything with McGee, as the city is taking it over to use as a service entrance to the arena.  The only think I have heard in terms of aesthetic/pedestrian enhancement is a special project on Wyandotte - last time I was by there you couldnt see anything unique yet. 

[advocrat]

What's the status with the bridges across 670? When are they all going to be replaced? And are they going to be much nicer like the ones crossing 71 or will they be the same-ol concrete pieces of shit with no unique design to them? I think that's a big problem with crossing 670. The bridges are too ugly and bland. Make them colorful with wide pedestrian paths and I think that would greatly improve the image and feel of crossing 670.

New bridges could be built with pedestrian walkways that resemble The Link skyways attached to each side. Insulated from traffic noise, wind, rain, etc, these would be inviting to any who need or wish to traverse the trench.

[TheBigChuckbowski]

New bridges could be built with pedestrian walkways that resemble The Link skyways attached to each side. Insulated from traffic noise, wind, rain, etc, these would be inviting to any who need or wish to traverse the trench.

With a glass bottom like the bridge in the Word War 1 museum. That'd be sweet.

[chingon]

Why don't we build a bridge shaped like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man so no one feels intimidated walking across the big scary highway?

[KCDowntown]

Whats with this fiction that there is no activity between DT and xroads?  There are businesses popping up all over in the xroads up around 670 and the P&L isnt even open yet.  If anything, we have seen more spin-off development in anticipation of the district and the sprint center on the south side of 670 than we have on the north side.  And in the evenings there are probably as many pedestrians crossing 670 as there are anywhere else in the loop, especially on baltimore. 

I don't think it is fiction at all.

Prior to the P&L the street adjacent to the south loop (essentially) amounted to a two block dead zone of surface parking and underutilized buildings.  I think the south loop was the primary cause for this happening.  It is an eyesore and it is not a conducive pedestrian environment - look how the P&L has turned its back on it by building a two-block wall that faces it.

And I don't think there are as many pedestrians crossing 670 as any other part of downtown at night (i.e. the Library District, Quality Hill)

I thought the going theory was that the downtown loop 'strangled' the life out of downtown.  Well, now that we have the opportunity to fix some of it we might as well take it.

KCDowntown

[bahua]

I thought the going theory was that the downtown loop 'strangled' the life out of downtown.  Well, now that we have the opportunity to fix some of it we might as well take it.

Do you see this opportunity? I sure don't. All I see if a chance for the city to spend money it doesn't have(1/5 of the annual budget) on something that isn't an immediate need.

[ShowMeKC]

Well actually, the highway is definitely a border that constrains some development (however how much is up to debate). Plus, a lot of people would be unwilling to walk across the highway with a large opening to the high speed traffic over 2 floors below, small sidewalks, and the additional traffic on the bridges.

[LenexatoKCMO]

I don't think it is fiction at all.

Prior to the P&L the street adjacent to the south loop (essentially) amounted to a two block dead zone of surface parking and underutilized buildings.  I think the south loop was the primary cause for this happening.  It is an eyesore and it is not a conducive pedestrian environment 

That is all past tense.  Have you been around the south side of 670 lately?  It has as much going on in terms of organic development as any where in the RCP.  And as I mentioned, thus far there is probably more spin off development south of the P&L/Sprint then there is north of it - freeway be damned. 

And I don't think there are as many pedestrians crossing 670 as any other part of downtown at night (i.e. the Library District, Quality Hill)

It's completely anecdotal but I walk up from the xroads and around the P&L on a regular basis for exercise and the 670 crossings at Baltimore and Grand (prior to the recent reclosing of the sidewalk) are the two places where I most consistently encounter fellow pedestrians in significant numbers. 

[bahua]

I cross 670 on foot several times per week. It doesn't bother me, and it'll be downright pleasant when the scheduled sidewalk improvements are finished.

[KCDowntown]

That is all past tense.  Have you been around the south side of 670 lately?  It has as much going on in terms of organic development as any where in the RCP.  And as I mentioned, thus far there is probably more spin off development south of the P&L/Sprint then there is north of it - freeway be damned. 

It's completely anecdotal but I walk up from the xroads and around the P&L on a regular basis for exercise and the 670 crossings at Baltimore and Grand (prior to the recent reclosing of the sidewalk) are the two places where I most consistently encounter fellow pedestrians in significant numbers. 

I live 3 blocks from the south loop, and walk across it a couple of times a month.

I don't think it matters so much that you or I will walk across it, clearly we will because we are downtown people.  What matters is if Joe and Jane tourist/conventioneer/OP will want to walk across it when they visit our new attractions.  Here is a list (with estimated price tags) of what is going on around it:

• Sprint Center - 300 mil
• PAC - 400 mil
• P&L - 850 mil
• Bartle Expansion - $100 million
• 1,000 room convention hotel of the future - $100 million

And smack dab in the middle of this is a gaping hole in the ground.  If we are serious about 'connecting' all of these things we should be willing to drop 200 million dollars and turn it into someplace that people want to be, instead of a place where people have to be. 

Walking across 670 is not a trip across the Seine in Paris.  It is a big dead zone of ugliness that we should cap.

KCDowntown

[LenexatoKCMO]

Walking across 670 is not a trip across the Seine in Paris. 

Oooh perhaps we can fill it with water and offer overpriced, romantic dinner cruises to tourists. 

[Stockton]

I live 3 blocks from the south loop, and walk across it a couple of times a month.

I don't think it matters so much that you or I will walk across it, clearly we will because we are downtown people.  What matters is if Joe and Jane tourist/conventioneer/OP will want to walk across it when they visit our new attractions.  Here is a list (with estimated price tags) of what is going on around it:

• Sprint Center - 300 mil
• PAC - 400 mil
• P&L - 850 mil
• Bartle Expansion - $100 million
• 1,000 room convention hotel of the future - $100 million

And smack dab in the middle of this is a gaping hole in the ground.  If we are serious about 'connecting' all of these things we should be willing to drop 200 million dollars and turn it into someplace that people want to be, instead of a place where people have to be. 

Walking across 670 is not a trip across the Seine in Paris.  It is a big dead zone of ugliness that we should cap.

KCDowntown

This is how I feel. Although, I don't have much say because I don't live in KCMO yet.

I'm hoping for a boulevard similar to parts of Paseo. We don't have to develop the cap with buildings. It could just be a well-developed park/green space. That way it would connect the gap, but still serve as a psych-barrier to distinguish the Crossroads and P&L.

I'm not sure how the most western block of the freeway would be capped because of the elevation change, but I envision some sort of art in the park serving as a terminal vista.

[TheBigChuckbowski]

LOL - I can just imagine some couple from Overland Park trying to go to the Sprint Center and they crawl to the edge of 670 to peer over.

"I can't do it. It's too far. There's cars rushing by below me and I only have these 5-foot wide sidewalks. It's like walking a tightrope over a like of fire."

C'mon people. Get real. All it needs is some sprucing up of the sidewalks and some higher guardrails and people won't even know it's there.

I think it's an asset, not an eyesore. Look at a wideshot of the city, you barely notice it. My favorite highway to drive on in all of Kansas City is 670, because of the KC Star building, Sprint Center, Power and Light Building, Bartle, etc...