Where: Missouri River bridge between Downtown KCMO and NKC.
What: Speed up construction of bike/ped lane before 2012
Who: MoDOT and the cities of KCMO and NKC.

The situation:
MoDOT has agreed to install a barrier-separated bicycle and pedestrian lane in the northbound shoulder of the HOA Bridge by 2012. Advocates would like to see this done sooner, before construction starts on the Paseo Bridge project in 2007-2008.

Funding is the critical issue. MoDOT says it has no money available to speed up this project before 2012. We need for the local jurisdictions like cities and counties to step up and front the money. The cost is estimated at $3 million dollars for design and installation of jersey barrier and fencing. While not cheap, it’s certainly very economical when compared with other spending on road projects for automobiles.

Background:
The Heart of America Bridge carries Route 9, North Oak, and Burlington over the Missouri River. It is currently our best option for crossing the Missouri River in the Downtown area, but still has serious safety hazards. The northbound lanes do have a wide shoulder, but it is crossed by multiple ramps carrying vehicular traffic. The southound lanes have no shoulder, requiring cyclists and pedestrians to use the outside automobile lane.

Related Information:

Brent Hugh analyzes bike/ped conditions on the HOA