- 18th and Vine
- Crossroads
- Indian Mound
- Marlborough
- Morningside
- Old Hyde Park
- Parade Park
- Plaza
- Rockhill Gardens
- Tri-Blenheim
- Valentine
- Waldo Tower
- Washington Wheatley
- West Bottoms
- Westport
- Westside
Our intern, Ben, is out of town this week, so news about meetings at City Hall is on hold until he gets back. Instead, this week’s edition covers a few of the Capital Projects that Kansas City Public Works is directing or have recently completed. If you’re interested in learning more about these projects, you can check out the City’s Capital Projects webpage and the GO KC Capital Project Webpage on Open Data KC.
Additionally, if you want to keep up with development in Kansas City, both public and private, you can use KCMO Parcel Viewer.
Start by heading to https://maps.kcmo.org/apps/parcelviewer/ and click “ok” on the disclaimer message.
Next, in the top right corner of the screen, click the drop-down menu labeled “Projects”.
Under “Development Cases”, select both “Pending Cases” and “Recently Completed (in the last year)”
You can now see both types of project cases, highlighted in green and blue. Click on any to view a popup with information about the case and links to more documentation.
You can also select the checkbox for “Capital Projects” under the same dropdown menu as before.
Turn off “Pending Cases” and “Recently Completed (in the last year)” if you want to better see the other results. You can now see Capital Projects outlined in yellow on the map.
Capital Projects (Public Works)
Avenida Cesar E Chavez (W 23rd St.) Cycle Track: This project concerns the construction of a two-way cycle track that begins at the intersection of State Line Rd and American Royal Dr, continues along American Royal Dr until it meets Avenida Cesar E Chavez, then continues along that road until Summit St, traversing the West Bottoms and Westside neighborhoods.
The goals of this project are to calm traffic and allow for cycling from the Westside neighborhood to the Bottoms and to the Hyvee Arena. The project would also improve pedestrian crossings. These goals align with the City’s Complete Street ordinance and Vision Zero policy.
The project was originally anticipated to be completed in fall 2021, but construction has stalled. Completion of the cycle track from State Line and American Royal to American Royal and Cesar Chavez is finished. However, improvements along Cesar Chavez have not yet been completed.
Broadway Blvd Pedestrian Improvements and Road Diet: This project, which traverses the Valentine, Old Hyde Park, and Westport neighborhoods, began with the pedestrian improvements that are now present from 31st St to 43rd St. Originally, these improvements were only planned for 32nd St to Archibald, but were expanded in anticipation of the second stage, the road diet.
The road diet is now in the public engagement phase and Public Works is actively looking for community input. At a public meeting on July 7, three foundational designs were put forward as options for the boulevard. Renderings for these designs are available on the project webpage.
The first design is a “Meandering Road” which would strategically widen and narrow the roadway at various sections to calm traffic. The second design, a “Spanish Rambla-Style” would create a large median in the center of the roadway, broken up at a few points to allow for turn lanes. The third design, “Conventional Mobility Lanes” focuses on adding curb bump-outs and separated mobility lanes for cyclists and people using a personal mobility device.
The survey for the latest project update is now closed, but information about the project is available on the webpage, and questions/comments can be directed to the project manager, Bailey Waters via email.
Gillham Cycle Track / Trolley Track Trail Connector: This project is an addition to the recently built Cycle Track/Mobility Lane along Gillham Rd. The aim of this project is to connect that new track to the Trolley Track Trail, which goes south from Dr. MLK Jr. and Brookside Blvds in the Plaza to 85th and Holmes Streets.
The latest update to this project was the construction of the personal mobility lane on Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd from Oak Street to Troost Avenue. In addition to helping connect Gillham to the Trolley Track Trail, this north-south route will also connect other existing and planned bike lanes and trails.
Public Works has not yet made public any further updates to the completion of these two mobility lanes/trails.
Gregory Blvd Road Diet and Complete Streets: These two related projects that run through the Waldo Tower, Rockhill Gardens, Tri-Blenheim, and Marlborough neighborhoods began with the “complete streets” component which added mobility lanes, on-street parking facilities and daylighting along Gregory Blvd between Wornall Rd and Oak St. This component of the project has been mostly completed, with temporary street paintings, delineators, and some permanent bumpouts at crosswalks. It is unclear as to whether more permanent infrastructure is forthcoming yet.
The road diet from Oak Street to Troost keeps the same sidewalk width of approximately ten feet and replaces the four ten-foot drive lanes with two eight-foot lanes of on-street parking and two twelve-foot drive lanes in either direction. Continuing on to The Paseo, the road diet increases the sidewalk width on the south side of the street and constructs two drive lanes in either direction with a center turn lane. This component of the project is mostly finished. Paint denoting parking and turn lanes has been installed along with repaved streets. The sidewalk from Troost to Paseo has also been repaired and widened. Some crosswalks still need to be painted.
Public Works targeted this area for its priority on the city’s high injury network. Gregory was noted as a top priority, and between 2014 and 2024, a total of 521 crashes were reported along the corridor.
Meyer Blvd Traffic Calming: This project, beginning at Ward Parkway and ending at Swope Parkway, traverses the Morningside and Tri-Blenheim neighborhoods, and seeks to “create a community through accessible transportation for a vibrant corridor” through reducing traffic fatalities, and making the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Meyer Blvd was noted as a priority on the High Injury Network, leading to this project. Other project goals include connectivity, which is achieved by adding safer crossings for pedestrians and by connecting a proposed bike/ped path to the Trolley Track Trail.
Revive the Vine: This massive overhaul of the 18th and Vine District includes many sub-projects. Among those the city is constructing are:
- The 18th St Pedestrian Plaza: a pedestrian mall on 18th street between The Paseo and Woodland Ave. This will also include the refurbishing of American Jazz Walk of Fame medallions.
- The 18th and Lydia Parking Garage: owned by the city at 1819 Lydia Ave, and accommodating 470 parking stalls.
- Paseo Streetscape Improvements: aesthetic improvements from E 17th St to KC Terminal Railway, including the vacation of the inside-most lane of traffic in either direction to increase the width of the median.
- The Paseo Blvd Shared Use Path: an off-street shared use path on the east side of the Paseo, between Admiral Blvd to 18th St, serving as the east leg of the Green Line Initiative.
- The Archive Plaza Project: involving the installation of a fountain and statues at the 18th and Paseo Plaza area, spanning from 18th Street to Truman Rd.
- I-70 Second Tier EIS/I-70 Paseo Blvd to I-435: which reconstructs the I-70 corridor from The Paseo to Manchester Tfwy.
- Blues Park Improvements: including an outdoor roller skate rink and new restroom.
- Washington-Wheatley Neighborhood Improvements: which contain resurfacing, ADA improvements, sidewalks, and curbs between 18th and 23rd streets, and between Prospect and Indiana.
The project also includes several private developments including:
- One Nine Vine: mixed-use facilities off 19th Street between The Paseo and Vine St. These including multi-family housing that has already been constructed in a phase one. Phase two is expected to begin September 2025.
- The Parker: 48 multi-family housing units above commercial uses. These include one 3- and one 4-story building.
- 18th and Lydia Housing: multi-family housing on top of the aforementioned city-owned garage at 1819 Lydia Ave, numbering roughly 150 units.
- The rehab of the historic Boone Theater: and construction of an outdoor event space.
- The Parade Park Neighborhood: redevelopment of the existing 510-unit housing co-op at Parade Park.
Southwest Blvd Road Diet and Improvements: These two related projects concern both the Westside neighborhood (from 31st Street to Broadway Blvd) and the Crossroads (from Broadway to Grand Ave). The first section, concerning the Westside, includes things like roadway repaving, sidewalk repairs, streetscape improvements (including a shared-use path, new trash cans, flood storage and more. These goals for this project include not only improving safety, but also planning for sustainability. Phase one of this component of the project is underway, with work expected to be completed by summer 2026. There will be a break in work during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after which work will resume.
The second of these two projects, the road diet, targets Southwest Blvd, as it is of great priority on the High Injury Network. This road diet would convert the boulevard from four drive lanes to two drive lanes with a center turn lane. On-street parking facilities would be painted and a bi-directional protected personal mobility lane would be added to one side of the roadway. These changes would help with road safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians by discouraging speeding, unnecessary passing, and giving safer facilities for non-motorists.
St. John Ave Traffic Calming: This recently completed project aimed to calm traffic, add on-street parking facilities and a personal mobility lane, provide safe boarding/alighting for buses, and improve pedestrian crossings along St. John Ave from Elmwood Ave to Belmont Blvd in the Indian Mound neighborhood.
Public Works targeted this corridor because of the many crashes that had occurred in the proceeding years. Between 2019-2024, a total of 235 crashes were recorded for the area.
Public Works began the project in September of 2020, studying the area. In the succeeding years, staff worked with HDR and the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association to draft plans and gather recommendations. The project was slated for completion in April 2025, and is finished as of writing.
Ben Robinson is the author of This Week at City Hall, and an Urban Planning and Design Student at UMKC. He is a Kansas City native, having lived on both sides of the state line. From a young age, Ben has been interested in neighborhoods, communities, and the built environment, but only discovered the field of Urban Planning in college. He is now committed to a career in the profession, and is excited about using his education to support and grow the city he grew up in.
Leave a Reply