Why does NB U.S. 169 need to be closed during construction?

The tight working area at the project location, surrounding highway system geometry near the project location, and coordination with adjacent partners (KCMO, North Kansas City Levee District, and BNSF Railroad) are driving the need to close the bridge during construction.

Will this project take place after the 2026 World Cup?

Yes, this project will take place after the 2026 World Cup.

Why did this project not take place during the construction of the Buck O'Neil Bridge?

• While safe to travel on the bridge is approaching the end of its service life.
• The Buck O’Neil Bridge project was a cost share effort with KCMO. Funding was designated to be used on that project and from several different sources.
• Construction phasing for the Buck O’Neil project was established to maintain access to the downtown airport. Northbound traffic was maintained during construction of Buck O’Neil. The location of the NB U.S. 169 bridge provides limited options for shifting traffic to the southbound bridge and back to the northbound bridge.

Why will the bridge take two years to build?

The construction schedule includes existing bridge demolition as well as proposed bridge, roadway and retaining wall construction. The location of the new bridge is constrained by the adjacent southbound bridge which will remain in place, the North Kansas City Levee, BNSF Murray Yard, the Missouri River, KC Water facilities associated with the water treatment plant, gas and sanitary utilities, and MoDOT infrastructure. Considerations for coordination, weather delays, and construction space constraints were accounted for in the construction schedule.