KCRag Forum

Well that overpass only has a few exits. One heading South from downtown that gets off at 20th St. An on ramp at West Penway and then SW Trafficway and nothing again until Rainbow/Cambridge exit. Heading Northbound at the on ramp after Penvalley/Broadway you have West Penway and nothing until you are downtown where it splits or you can get off at Broadway.

It Services a lot of traffic but the Bulk of the commercial traffic (truck traffic you could route to 635 or other connections).

I'd like to see a functional street grind there again with in fill density and tremendous possibility. I think a nice wide BLVD that connects up to SW Trafficway would be a great way to allow for through traffic but still have it connected to grid.

Total pipe dream on these all but it would be Nice and allow for maybe new thinking on the highway as to where it would go. Obviously 670 on that side of town is a barrier that would stay but knowing that was the only "scar" on the SW side of downtown would be manageable.

SF got rid of the Embarcadero Freeway, it's possible.

How obscenely expensive would it be to turn 35 into a tunnel from just before state line until I-70?

alejandro46 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 02, 2023 9:49 pm

bobbyhawks wrote: ↑Thu Mar 02, 2023 6:13 pm

alejandro46 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 10:36 pm

Not that it would happen, but it should be considered realigning I-35 completely alone Beardsley / the railroad tracks and connecting just north of the 7th street Trafficway exit. I know it’s been sketched out on this forum before which is what gave me this idea. The cost would probably be insane but would be amazing to completely remove that highway cutting off the Westside.

What would the highway exits be? There would either be no easy way to get to the Crossroads/Union Station areas from I-35, or the traffic flow through the Westside (somewhere) would significantly increase.

Reduce the road to a boulevard. We shouldn't destroy the urban core so people from JoCo or the Northland (like myself fyi) can get around as fast as possible in cars.

I agree with the sentiment, but easier said than done. Without an easy way to navigate, things like SW Trafficway emerge that are arguably worse neighborhood dividers than an elevated highway you can walk under. People in those suburbs won't stop needing to speed to work the most convenient way. I worry the typical engineering thing will happen, creating 10 equally bad problems to "solve" 1. Until I see some legit proposals, I'm extremely skeptical.

FangKC wrote: ↑Mon May 24, 2021 7:40 pm

FangKC wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:24 am Developer pitching affordable shipping container apartments in west side KC neighborhood

...
A local developer is proposing 48 new apartments made from shipping containers.

The proposed development site sits squarely in a west side neighborhood, near 29th & Madison, just off Southwest Trafficway.
...

https://fox4kc.com/news/developer-pitch ... ghborhood/

This is the project.

Images: KC Star

Some of these are available in April.

Shipping container studio apartments nearing completion

https://www.kctv5.com/2023/03/10/shippi ... ompletion/

https://www.sbfcontainers.com/

FangKC wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 3:52 am Some of these are available in April.
https://www.sbfcontainers.com/

While I think this is a cool idea and I look forward to checking them out, that drone video is about the most uninviting thing I've ever seen.

More row houses coming to the Westside south of 18th and Mercier. These appear to be on the east side of the street.

Westside Row House Project Finds Willing Buyers at $495K

A new row house project on the Westside that’s selling three-bedroom homes for $495,000 is finding willing buyers in one of greater downtown’s more popular neighborhoods.
...
The 1,663 square-foot houses include 3 1/2 baths and a two-car garage with alley access.
...
Lambie Homes of Overland Park is developing the seven row houses near 18th and Mercier. It’s a gentrifying neighborhood where humble bungalows from the early 1900s are being joined or replaced by contemporary-style, new houses for professionals.
...
Jim Lambie said four of the seven row houses already have been sold. Two were purchased by owner-occupants and two to out-of-town investors who plan to charge monthly rents of $4,000.
...
“I wish we had more land to build homes and condos, there’s a real need,” she said.

https://cityscenekc.com/westside-row-ho ... PBXf6mKFrs

Location:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.090246, ... ?entry=ttu

I hope more housing of this type gets built, very encouraging. I wish it could be built to a slightly lower price point in more neighborhoods. I don't get why a 1600 sqft house needs 3.5 bathrooms... That kind of thing is what makes homes expensive. In my opinion the kids can share lol.