‘Early Christmas present’ for Northland drivers: 152/I-35 interchange is ready
Months of following mile-long detours just to cross Interstate 35 between Liberty and Kansas City, North, is about to come to an end for Northland drivers.
The redesigned Missouri 152 and Interstate 35 will reopen mid-morning Wednesday, weeks ahead of schedule, said Markl Johnson, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Transportation in Kansas City.
“It could be considered an early Christmas present for folks up there,” Johnson said.
The completion of the interchange once again connects residents in the area to retail centers in both Liberty and Kansas City, North.
The redesigned interchange is part of a $26.2 million project aimed at improving traffic safety and accommodating booming retail development in the area.
The previous bridge was closed and demolished last spring. It was replaced with a half diverging diamond interchange. The newly designed interchange has 11 lanes for traffic, with most of them handling the east and west traffic flow as well as traffic exiting from northbound I-35 or headed onto southbound I-35.
There are also three lanes that will handle traffic exiting from southbound I-35 onto eastbound Missouri 152/Kansas Street and eastbound Missouri 152 onto northbound I-35.
Because of the construction over the summer, drivers wanting to cross I-35 in that area were forced to take detours up to 12 miles long, which added an estimated 16 minutes to their travel time.
“This had a huge impact on a lot of folks,” Johnson said.
While the interchange is complete, it was only part of the overall project. Construction will continue through next summer as crews make improvements to Kansas Street and Missouri 291 by widening the street and adding turn lanes.
The project will also address bicycle and pedestrian needs along the corridor by including a multiple-use path along the south side of Missouri 152 and Kansas Street that well extend across the bridge.
Drivers are being urged to pay attention when traveling through the construction area as well as follow any ongoing and new detours.
