OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

[kas1]

Downgrade the west loop and north loop from freeways and run all through traffic on an improved/widened east loop.

I'd do the opposite tbh. Remove the east loop and reroute everything along the west loop. Build a new connection on the north side of the river so that I-35 isn't severed. The east loop cuts right through the city, and those interchanges are massive and obnoxious. It needs to go. The west loop is out of the way and not harming anything.

[alejandro46]

Is Harlem still a major flood zone? I know a ton of levy work has been done.

I'm all for saving the bridge, but I have some serious cost concerns. The bridge is very old, and there needs to be work done shoring the pylons up on the river floor if I recall. That can't be cheap. It was the right call to connect direct to 35 via new bridge vs. just rehab old bridge. If we can save it, great, if not, it's not a hill I'm willing to die on. I think if Harlem is protected against flooding the new exit there and shared use path on the new bridge can help re-develop it into affordable housing and park land.

[beautyfromashes]

The bridge is very old, and there needs to be work done shoring the pylons up on the river floor if I recall.

For foot traffic? There'd be a fraction of the weight on that bridge compared to the heavy trucks and constant car traffic that it has now.

[shinatoo]

The pylons are being undermined by the river, not truck traffic.

[GRID]

Downgrade the west loop and north loop from freeways and run all through traffic on an improved/widened east loop.

I'd do the opposite tbh. Remove the east loop and reroute everything along the west loop. Build a new connection on the north side of the river so that I-35 isn't severed. The east loop cuts right through the city, and those interchanges are massive and obnoxious. It needs to go. The west loop is out of the way and not harming anything.

I understand what you are saying, The east loop sucks. But there is no way to do what you described. I mean I guess for literally tens of billions of dollars it could be done. It would actually be far cheaper and more realistic to just tunnel everything from the Bond Bridge south. That would only cost a few billion lol.

The topography is pretty crazy downtown. The east loop goes from being depressed to above street level for example. You might be able to burry part of it though.

The people that designed KC's downtown freeways sure did leave behind a mess, that's for sure.

[GRID]

The 670 corridor is building up quite nicely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEXgHPt ... wiFQsjneNL

[kas1]

You must have misunderstood something because I don't know what would cost so much money? Just remove the north and east loop freeways entirely. A few tens of millions of dollars to clean up that mess maybe (offset somewhat by selling the land). Build about 1.5 miles of new highway along the north bank of the river as a new connection for through traffic on I-35. Even if you have to build it entirely as a viaduct in poor soil conditions you still shouldn't be breaking the bank for such a relatively small span of highway on open ground. I'm not proposing any other new capacity here.

Actually I guess the south loop might need some additional capacity in this scenario, specifically at the interchange where there's only one lane connecting the south loop to 670. If I were king I'd relocate I-35 between 12th St and the state line to run along the edge of the West Bottoms. Then you'd have a new interchange in the vicinity of the railroad tracks (more specifically, half of one, since you can still use part of the existing connection between the south and west loops), and that would free up enough space beneath Bartle Hall to accommodate some extra lanes for through traffic. Then 670 would be redesignated as I-70, which is what always made sense anyway. This wouldn't be cheap, but it wouldn't be in the range of tens of billions of dollars. Probably more in the range of a baseball stadium.

[normalthings]

You must have misunderstood something because I don't know what would cost so much money? Just remove the north and east loop freeways entirely. A few tens of millions of dollars to clean up that mess maybe (offset somewhat by selling the land). Build about 1.5 miles of new highway along the north bank of the river as a new connection for through traffic on I-35. Even if you have to build it entirely as a viaduct in poor soil conditions you still shouldn't be breaking the bank for such a relatively small span of highway on open ground. I'm not proposing any other new capacity here.

Actually I guess the south loop might need some additional capacity in this scenario, specifically at the interchange where there's only one lane connecting the south loop to 670. If I were king I'd relocate I-35 between 12th St and the state line to run along the edge of the West Bottoms. Then you'd have a new interchange in the vicinity of the railroad tracks (more specifically, half of one, since you can still use part of the existing connection between the south and west loops), and that would free up enough space beneath Bartle Hall to accommodate some extra lanes for through traffic. Then 670 would be redesignated as I-70, which is what always made sense anyway. This wouldn't be cheap, but it wouldn't be in the range of tens of billions of dollars. Probably more in the range of a baseball stadium.

Heavy civil projects are capital intensive. Billions to redo the loop is probably accurate for a closure of north + rebuild of the other sides to accommodate.

[TheLastGentleman]

https://cityscenekc.com/converting-onei ... officials/

[Cratedigger]

https://cityscenekc.com/converting-onei ... officials/

From the article:
The presentation made last Thursday indicated it would require at least $50 million to convert the 65 year-old span into a linear park, according to a preliminary budget prepared by the city.

No estimate was provided for the ongoing maintenance and operational costs of the bridge and park, or its potential ownership and management structure.

....

MoDOT has set aside $300,000 to fund a feasibility study for reusing the existing bridge, but has expressed no interest in owning and operating it after the replacement bridge is completed.

[WoodDraw]

It’s a weird project because it doesn’t connect anything. KC typically isn’t good at programming and maintaining these things either.

It’s something that sounds cool in theory but I’d be incredibly hesitant to spend money on.

[normalthings]

It’s a weird project because it doesn’t connect anything. KC typically isn’t good at programming and maintaining these things either.

It’s something that sounds cool in theory but I’d be incredibly hesitant to spend money on.

Can we take it down and use a span at one end of the loop cap park?

[alejandro46]

Unless private money comes along and funds this, I dont see how this works. In this area, we need to focus on improving the environment along the new bridge. Continual re-development of Wheeler Airport, Harlem, north loop removal. Making the shared use path on the new bridge connected to all of those spaces. Not sinking $50m to save this, even though I think it's a neat idea, it's not $50m neat plus the ongoing maintenance.

[earthling]

Yeah, great idea but funding the maintenance long term is the challenge.

[dukuboy1]

It’s a weird project because it doesn’t connect anything. KC typically isn’t good at programming and maintaining these things either.

It’s something that sounds cool in theory but I’d be incredibly hesitant to spend money on.

Can we take it down and use a span at one end of the loop cap park?

Interesting idea for sure on repurposing it else where. When I read the article I had the same reaction that it seemed kind of odd, and who they are targeting the usage? Immediate residents of the River Market and downtown for sure. But the renderings made it seem it was going to be more than an urban outdoor space, mentioning the the "High Mile" in NYC which has other things than just a trail. It's just kind of isolated in the current location.

Perhaps they were looking at creating access for the public to park at downtown airport for those who wish to use it and will drive to it. Again I assume they will need to have some solution for access to help generate revenue for upkeep and such. There is space around the area for sure and this could perhaps be a neat project to jumpstart ideas and kickoff projects.

Honestly I just don't see where the funding will come from and how it will be maintained over time. VERY COOL idea and one that could be somewhat iconic. However I don't think the players who own it now have any interest in doing anything but tear it down and be done with it.

[WoodDraw]

It’s a weird project because it doesn’t connect anything. KC typically isn’t good at programming and maintaining these things either.

It’s something that sounds cool in theory but I’d be incredibly hesitant to spend money on.

Can we take it down and use a span at one end of the loop cap park?

Interesting idea for sure on repurposing it else where. When I read the article I had the same reaction that it seemed kind of odd, and who they are targeting the usage? Immediate residents of the River Market and downtown for sure. But the renderings made it seem it was going to be more than an urban outdoor space, mentioning the the "High Mile" in NYC which has other things than just a trail. It's just kind of isolated in the current location.

Perhaps they were looking at creating access for the public to park at downtown airport for those who wish to use it and will drive to it. Again I assume they will need to have some solution for access to help generate revenue for upkeep and such. There is space around the area for sure and this could perhaps be a neat project to jumpstart ideas and kickoff projects.

Honestly I just don't see where the funding will come from and how it will be maintained over time. VERY COOL idea and one that could be somewhat iconic. However I don't think the players who own it now have any interest in doing anything but tear it down and be done with it.

I think modot will give it away, but I wouldn’t expect anything more than a feasibility study and a good luck slap on the back as they walk out the door. I think this is a tear down.

[GRID]

The great thing is that it's being discussed and it seems plenty of people are interested in repurposing the bridge which will delay its destruction.

It needs to be a part of a bigger plan. I think it would be amazing, but I'm starting to think it's just too big of a project. The MO and KS rivers are such amazing assets to KC and if they can't figure out how to utilize them better, this and the other bridge project at the Kaw will fail.

I really hope the city can find a way to make it happen though.

[AlkaliAxel]

https://cityscenekc.com/converting-onei ... officials/

From the article:
The presentation made last Thursday indicated it would require at least $50 million to convert the 65 year-old span into a linear park, according to a preliminary budget prepared by the city.

No estimate was provided for the ongoing maintenance and operational costs of the bridge and park, or its potential ownership and management structure.

....

MoDOT has set aside $300,000 to fund a feasibility study for reusing the existing bridge, but has expressed no interest in owning and operating it after the replacement bridge is completed.

I'll reiterate what I said the other day- give me the south loop cap over this any day

So it turns out it actually is a choice between one or the other (after one individual lambasted me for suggesting this)...if we have $50 mil, put it towards the south loop deck, and have this project get in line behind all the others.

And again, I don't think this bridge will be effective until the north loop is removed.

[KCPowercat]

It definitely needs something to attach to on the north side to be worth it in my mind. A park alone to stand over the MO river is not an attraction.

[moderne]

Get rid of the DT airport and turn it into a park. Since the river itself is useless for recreation have most of the airport runway footprint be a huge lagoon. Have canoeing, pedal boats, etc, a passenger barge, walkways, bikeways, picnic shelters.