Falls at Crackernack Creek update

[GRID]

Does anyone know if there will be a bridge crossing over I-70, connecting The Falls with Wal-Mart?  Or will there be a continuation of Crackerneck Road into the shopping area? I'd hate for them to have only one entrance, that'll be one heck of a detour.

Also, I have taken notice on most of the highways in that area.  I hate the cloverleaf interchanges on I-70. Also, Mo 291 is one of the most dangerous highways in the metro and it looks like a rural highway (two lanes on each side).  With Lee's Summit growing exponentially coupled with the development of Bass Pro at The Falls, there will be a huge increase of traffic along the 291 corridor.  Will MoDot be upgrading this stretch to handle all of the traffic going to the Falls?

I have a bunch of "no"s for you .

They are not connecting Crackerneck Road to all the shopping areas north of 70 which I think is too bad because they could really use a half diamond at Crackerneck (weaved with Lee's Summit Rd ramps).  It would help both the bass pro development and Boldger Square, Walmart etc.  But instead, they are going to put a road in from Lee's Summit Road which will be so far away from everything, few will use it because it won't be an obvious way in or out.  Lee's Summit Rd is already at capacity, just like most of the roads in east jack.  Noland, Little Blue, 39th, Hwy 470, I-70, all need to be widened.

The 470 and 70 interchange is a joke.  Why the KC area puts up with that from Modot is beyond me.  There are no freeway to freeway cloverleaf interchanges left in StL, they have all been replaced with massive tri level flyovers.  We still have them all over the place, 470/70, 435/70 and the "Lee's Summit Triangle give it a few years, you will see (470/350/50) BTW, there is a ten story office tower going up at that interchange across from Summit Fair!...Anyway 470 needs to be rebuilt along its entire corridor.  It needs to be 8 lanes from 435 to 50 and six from 50 to 70.  All that is planned for the corridor is the two half diamond interchanges at Prior and Blue Parkway and a new interchange at Strother where there is litterally hundreds of million of dollars worth of projects about to break ground as soon as that interchange breaks ground.  It will however add axillary lanes between Colbern and Woods Chapel.

But in general, infrastructure is not keeping up in east jax and it's going to start pushing some of their growth to the Northland because the Northland is now starting to get ahead of the development curve.

[ddw334umkc]

It's a shame that East Jack doesn't have the vision or the leadership to sensibly develop the area.  Over 40 percent is rural patches of land that has potential, but is sittng because most of that area is overlying in different municipalities, making aquisition of the land a huge pain in the ass. At least Raytown is trying to get their act together with that 350 corridor redevelopment.

As far as MoDot's concerned, I feel that they do not consider Kansas City a high priority because of the metro being evenly spread over two states.  I have recently talked to a MoDot traffic engineer at a school career fair, and he said the reason for the slow progress is the lack of state funding.  But I was in St. Louis a just week ago, and it was sickening to see how St. Louis have all new freeways with 5-6 lanes each direction, reversible express lanes and flyovers.  Not to mention the I-44/US 61 improvements. My theory is that the state is out of money because they have been spending too much in STL and not enough here.  Heck, half of their state roads are at highway grade with overpasses, interchanges and side access roads.

It seems that Jeff City has sorely forgotten about us. It's a disgrace that city leaders and county officials doesn't have the foresight or the initiative to see that our roads and highways are upgraded to accomodate the growing traffic.  We need someone within the incumbancy that will advocate OUR need for better freeways, because quite frankly, I'm tired of getting whatever crumbs the state throw at us.

Back to the Falls...

[cpt4599]

Hey Grid! Next time you take the helicopter out would you mind taking a couple pics of this project?  I'd really like to see it from that perspective.  Also does anyone know what types of tenants they are looking for in the other parts of the development?  

[Highlander]

Sounds like the contractor must not have been using enough union labor to me. 

Apparently the crime has been solved.  Three kids on an after-party joy ride and it turns ugly.  Alcohol, some bad decisions and three lives down the drain with probable felony convictions and significant jail time. 

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15926033.htm

[ddw334umkc]

The judge will probably give them some shock jail time followed by a lengthy term of probation, assuming they've never been in trouble before.  But I'm more than sure they will have to pay a hefty-ass restitution amount!

[jimb]

That I-70/470 interchage has been unchanged since that was in the middle of nowhere.  As more development happens, I wouldn't be suprised if the thing doesn't just gridlock some weekend afternoon.

Independence has always had a severe shortage of N-S arterials.  Until the 80s there was Noland and, well, Noland.  Lee's Summit, Crysler, and Sterling were there, but for the most part were 2 lane roads until expansions in that decade.

Love 'em or hate 'em, the JoCo planners seem to do a much better job of syncing the infrastructure with the development.  I haven't been to the Northland much lately, but I'd have to think they would be doing a better job than East Jack has.

[justin8216]

The judge will probably give them some shock jail time followed by a lengthy term of probation, assuming they've never been in trouble before.  But I'm more than sure they will have to pay a hefty-ass restitution amount!

I think the people who raised these young men should also be brought up on charges and serve some "shock" jail time for failing so miseryably as parents. Even people with rudimentary parenting skills could have raised boys with enough common sense even when drunk to know damaging millions of dollars of construction equipment as a joke isn't a good idea.

[ddw334umkc]

These kids have altered the course of their lives for the worse, as a felony conviction would seriously hender their futures. Which is a shame, but the blatant and careless actions of the teenagers are unexcusable.  And what about the so-called unsuspecting parents?  I personally feel that the parents should be held accountable for their sons' mischievious deeds.  A lawsuit against the parents doesn't seem to far from becoming a reality.

[cpt4599]

These kids have altered the course of their lives for the worse, as a felony conviction would seriously hender their futures. Which is a shame, but the blatant and careless actions of the teenagers are unexcusable.  And what about the so-called unsuspecting parents?  I personally feel that the parents should be held accountable for their sons' mischievious deeds.  A lawsuit against the parents doesn't seem to far from becoming a reality.

These kids were all 18 or older which is legally an adult.  To punish the parents for thier legally adult child's actions is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Just because people screw up it doesn't automatically mean they were terrible parents. My parents were great,and I've made a few bad choices, but that doesn't mean my parents were bad parents. It just means young people make stupid mistakes sometimes.

[ddw334umkc]

True. But the thing that baffles me is the mere fact that they knew how to operate this machinery AS WELL as having access to them.  So unless these collegiates have taken a internship with a contractor, someone else at home was careless.

[dangerboy]

Love 'em or hate 'em, the JoCo planners seem to do a much better job of syncing the infrastructure with the development.  I haven't been to the Northland much lately, but I'd have to think they would be doing a better job than East Jack has.

Yes!  They make sure to have the freeways, interchanges, arterials, etc. in place before opening an area for development.  On the Missouri side we tend to just rezone land next a state highway and let MoDOT deal with the consequences.

[GRID]

photo update:

(final plans approved, buildings to begin const anytime)

[LenexatoKCMO]

The opening of the Olathe BP has me curious as to how things are coming out on the bid daddy in indep.  I haven't been out that way in awhile - have they gotten things off the ground yet?

[cpt4599]

Anybody know the status of this project as in does any body have any ideas on what tenants might be taking up the other spaces in this development?  Are they still just pushing dirt around out there or is there actual buildings going up yet?

[KCK]

This is laughable. The Independence Bass Pro was supposed to be the showcase store for the metro area, Olathe slipped in and had theirs completely built long before the Independence one. Living here in KCK, the store in Independence as farther away than the one in Olathe, so why would I ever go there now?

[velvetelvis]

This is laughable. The Independence Bass Pro was supposed to be the showcase store for the metro area, Olathe slipped in and had theirs completely built long before the Independence one. Living here in KCK, the store in Independence as farther away than the one in Olathe, so why would I ever go there now?

The Olathe store is a dump just like Olathe. Greatness takes time to bulid. If you don't know why you would go there.... why would I?

Also if Olathe bulit an arena (smaller, cheaper and faster than kc's) why would anyone go downtown to the bigger better arena?

I have left the buliding.

[KCK]

Are you kidding me? Have you even been there? It is a nice store. I personally prefer Cabelas, but that doesn't mean it is a dump.

I'm not going to sit here and argue about which Big-box store in which far-flung suburb I prefer. In my head there is no difference between suburban Olathe and suburban Independence.

[voltopt]

I'm not going to sit here and argue about which Big-box store in which far-flung suburb I prefer. In my head there is no difference between suburban Olathe and suburban Independence.

Couldn't agree more!

[GRID]

Because there is a difference between building a store in the flat fields of joco vs cutting through cliffs and and limestone and crossing rivers and forests that come with building in eastern Independence.  The amount of earthwork and rock removal going on in that entire area around Independence Center is nuts.

Anyway, they have finished most of the bridges and most of the massive rock retaining walls are up.  Foundations are going in now.  I don't know what all is coming in though.  The buildings themselves will take no time at all to go up.

[dangerboy]

Yup, yesterday I noticed some footings had been poured.  Don't forget that the building has been redesigned at least twice, which probably accounts for a year's worth of delays.