KCRag Forum

Why is Southwest Trafficway also Summit Street? Why do we have Southwest Trafficway and Southwest Blvd? Why do we have Blue Ridge Cut-Off and Blue Ridge?

AllThingsKC wrote:Why is Southwest Trafficway also Summit Street? Why do we have Southwest Trafficway and Southwest Blvd? Why do we have Blue Ridge Cut-Off and Blue Ridge?

Just curious - does the Southwest Trafficway moniker also include Madison and Bellevue? I've always called it Southwest Trafficway from Ward Parkway to the I-35 connection. The designation is a bit misleading since it runs due north-south.

earthling wrote: Also, I saw old drawings of Union Station that referred to that area as Midtown. When did identifying Midtown starting past 31st St start?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouria

I can't remember the exact timing but I think it goes back to the 90's. I believe there were some economic incentive programs created specifically for "downtown" areas. The trouble was defining what areas were downtown. Before that time there was a dispute concerning the expansion of Bartle Hall. One side wanted to extend it over the highway to tie in what was considered downtown to the south. I don't remember if the term used was to the rest of downtown or to midtown. The other side of course wanted the expansion to turn east and stay within the loop and encourage "downtown development". We know the outcome of that decision.
Now, let's go to the 90's. The city council wanted to define the downtown area as large as possible, but of course not too large, to take advantage of these "downtown economic development programs". The result was the current boundaries that establish downtown. This is why when I make comments concerning Crown Center and it's establishment it wasn't considered to be downtown. And I don't remember Trinity Lutheran and St. Mary's hospitals ever being referred to as downtown hospitals.
Remember, the city limits had a much smaller footprint until after WW II with it's first post-war annexation in 1947. Up until that time KCMO was just under 60 sq miles and it's southern boundary was roughly 77th Street. The 1947 annexation took it to 85th St. and north of the river. Not sure what the dividing lines were between say downtown, midtown, uptown, eastside, westside, East Bottoms, West Bottoms, Westport, Plaza, Waldo and so on. Of course growing up with the highway loop downtown many considered downtown to be confined to within the loop.

Highlander wrote:

AllThingsKC wrote:Why is Southwest Trafficway also Summit Street? Why do we have Southwest Trafficway and Southwest Blvd? Why do we have Blue Ridge Cut-Off and Blue Ridge?

Just curious - does the Southwest Trafficway moniker also include Madison and Bellevue? I've always called it Southwest Trafficway from Ward Parkway to the I-35 connection. The designation is a bit misleading since it runs due north-south.

Southwest Blvd of course basically goes SW from Main into KS. For me Southwest Trafficway starts at the Southwest boundary of downtown loop but only extends to Westport Rd when it becomes Madison and Bellevue. Of course with traffic reporting and such maybe that caused some to extend it to Ward Parkway. Who knows?

Concerning Blue Ridge and the Cut-off Blue Ridge Rd is a very old road, I think established originally as a dirt road. The Cut-off was established as a short cut to go from one end (roughly 33rd St.) of a winding Blue Ridge Rd or Blvd to a another end of Blue Ridge Rd (roughly 66th St.). Not sure when the Cut-off name was established, if it was when the road was first built or later. Blue Ridge of course follows more or less a high point in geography with one side being the drainage area of the Big Blue River and the other side being the drainage area of the Little Blue River.

Of course you have Blue Parkway also.

brewcrew1000 wrote:I also hate how people pronounce Nevada missouri. Its not like the state.

I can understand noticing the error, but being driven to hatred by it? Why on earth would anyone not familiar with the small Missouri town of 8K people know it's a different pronunciation?

aknowledgeableperson wrote:

Highlander wrote:

AllThingsKC wrote:Why is Southwest Trafficway also Summit Street? Why do we have Southwest Trafficway and Southwest Blvd? Why do we have Blue Ridge Cut-Off and Blue Ridge?

Just curious - does the Southwest Trafficway moniker also include Madison and Bellevue? I've always called it Southwest Trafficway from Ward Parkway to the I-35 connection. The designation is a bit misleading since it runs due north-south.

S Not sure when the Cut-off name was established, if it was when the road was first built or later. Blue Ridge of course follows more or less a high point in geography with one side being the drainage area of the Big Blue River and the other side being the drainage area of the Little Blue River.

Of course you have Blue Parkway also.

And Blue Ridge Extension - I believe that is what Blue Ridge was called west of US 71 when I was in HS.

Forgot about "Extension". Of course that has been dropped now. Guess Extension was used since that portion seems to drop off the ridge and then proceeds to cross Blue River by Holmes to State Line.
Would be interesting to see some of those old maps.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone pronounce "Wornall" with an "e" but it's probable I just really haven't noticed.


I noticed our peculiarity with how we describe highways basically as soon as I was old enough to drive to other regions on my own. But I've noticed a few more peculiarities about how we name them:

We say "I-29" and "I-35" and "I-70" (and some of us try to say "I-49" but that's going to take a while to become habit)....

....BUT, when it has 3 digits, we tend to drop the "I-" and just say "470", "435", "635", "670".


We say "40 Highway" and "50 Highway"...

...... but we don't say "71 Highway" unless it's immediately followed by "at that swinging Red Bridge exit". We just say "71".
...... and, when it has 3 digits, we say things like "291" or "150" or "350", though the latter two do sometimes have "Highway" attached.


On the Kansas side, we begin state highways with "K-": "K-7, K-10". But on the Missouri side, we treat them just like we do the Federal highways. "7 Highway", "291"... ...at least within the metro area. Once you get beyond the suburbs, they just get referred to by the numbers. Missouri 13 Highway is just "13". "7 Highway" transforms into just "7" somewhere along the way between Pleasant Hill and Harrisonville.

Have lived approximately along Wornall entire time in KC (Waldo to Westport/Plaza areas) and hear WorNELL maybe 1/3 of time, but mostly from older locals now. Heard it more often 20+ years ago. It wouldn't be odd if that were official pronunciation and/or everyone says it that way, it's odd because it's probably not official yet many (not most) say it that way. Even stranger is those who say WorNELL still pronounce Nall road as expected.

Did Wornall even connect through the plaza between Ward Parkway and 47th St? Seems strange it stops at Ward Parkway and starts back up a couple blocks east.

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pash wrote:Sanborn maps show that the block that is now bounded by 47th, Nichols (fka Alameda), Broadway, and Central was a parking lot in the early days of the Plaza, while the adjacent blocks were built up.

Interesting map. There were going to be THREE Filling stations in those two adjacent blocks of the plaza! Wow. I am not old enough to remember any of the plaza filling stations - must have all been torn out prior to the 60's. Also noted they called the "parking lot" an Auto Park? Wonder at what point we deviated away from that term - much more similar to the British "Car Park"

there were eight around the plaza early on. Probably means 8 pumps
https://countryclubplaza.com/art-histor ... -the-city/

Here's a photo showing two of them
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/303007881148764952/

Filling stations provided much needed revenue in the early days of the Plaza. J.C Nichols almost lost the Plaza to the bank during the Depression, and it was filling station revenue that helped him keep it.

The plaza just hasn't been the same since those filling stations were taken out.

^Agreed. I have fond memories of running out of gas and coasting into the the station on Nichols Pkwy.

Go to the Facebook page "Things and places we loved in Greater KC when we were much younger!" I think the above mentioned parking lot is shown in a picture. There are other things you might be interested in on that page also.

I think Historic KC ought to advocate any new developments on the plaza incorporate faux gas pumps to recognize our vehicular heritage. Maybe it could be like a fountain that spews lead clouds into the air? Just to give it that authentic touch.

I've never understood the local TV stations not covering any of the minor league sports, and it is only within the past few years that Sporting has been covered. MAYBE a story about the Mavericks pops up now and then, but nothing on indoor football, FCKC, the T-Bones, etc.

kc has a hilarious (and really hard to pin down) old school (urban?) accent. this is actually a different accent than one i hear sometimes when i call my overland park office, and someone answers the phone with a super-lightish texas-y (plains?) accent. i guess it's all of the people that have moved into metro kc from the surrounding plains.