Outer outer belt roads

Post by **dangerboy** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 1:57 am

It seemed like an outer belt highway beyond the I-435/I-470/MO-291 loop died with the idea of Joco's 21st Century Parkway and a similar loop through Blue Springs. However, we are are moving towards a de factor outer outer belt through the suburban fringe anyway. Several separate projects have us on that course....

North: MO-92 between Weston, Smithville, Kearney, and Exclesior Springs
East: MO-7 between US-24 and US-50 connecting northeastern and southeastern Jackson County
South: MO-150 along the Jackson/Cass County line or further south on MO-58 through Belton
West: K-7 from Leavenworth to southern Johnson County

Add new Missouri River bridges at Leavenworth and Sibley, and the four corners could be connected. The radius of this belt approaches 50 or more miles, giving us a Texas-sized highway loop. At least we still haven't reached 100 miles in diameter like Atlanta.

Post by **bahua** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 4:17 pm

We need bigger cars, and longer commutes.

KCDevin · Post by **KCDevin** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 4:32 pm

at least you could spell my city right... just kidding

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Sun Feb 01, 2004 6:51 pm

Looking at a metro map, it's really odd the way MO-7 and K-7 just mirror each other...both go north/south connecting to 70, both are parallel to a loop freeway (470 in MO and 435 in KS), and both are in emerging suburban coridors (K-7 in W. Shawnee, Lenexa, Olathe...and Mo-7 in Blue Springs, Lake Lotawanna, Lee's Summit). It is like an identical road pattern for growth on two different ends of the metro.

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Sun Feb 01, 2004 10:18 pm

A major difference though is that the Kansas version is expressway or freeway almost everywhere except Olathe, Bonner Springs, and Lansing/Leavenworth... while the Missouri version only becomes a freeway south of Harrisonville. So on the Kansas side development will be concentrated around the interchanges with residential filling the gaps in-between, while on the Missouri side development will be a mixed bag spreading out all over the place. (Except for where terrain prevents it, as on a few segments in eastern Independence and Lake Lotawana.)