These Westport streets, closed for construction, will reopen for the World Cup

Road closures around Mill Street in Westport will disappear — temporarily — as ongoing construction pauses ahead of the FIFA World Cup, offering a reprieve for Westport visitors.

KC Water has been working on stormwater infrastructure improvements in Westport since last year to address longtime struggles with flooding in and around the entertainment district. The project includes building two large reservoirs under the ground to reroute and store millions of gallons of stormwater.

That has included digging a 19-foot hole in the parking lot outside the Westport Sun Fresh grocery store.

Above the ground, the project also includes giving Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park a facelift while adding new landscaping, improving infrastructure for pedestrians along Mill Street and rebuilding Mill Street and parts of Westport Road with better drainage and more permeable pavers to stave off water concerns.

Construction has meant road closures along Mill Street and Westport Road, forcing detours around where the two roads intersects to access Westport and its businesses.

But Jackson Overstreet, spokesperson for KC Water, confirmed that Mill Street and Westport Road are expected to be fully open by the end of the week, pending weather.

The roads will be clear while construction is paused, Overstreet said, and they will be closed again to continue construction in the second half of July or the first part of August, which will be after the last World Cup match in Kansas City.

The project is expected to be done by the end of the year.