Parts of KC’s downtown loop to close this weekend, with significant impact on traffic
Getting around downtown Kansas City might be more challenging this weekend, as a large portion of the downtown loop will be closed.
The Buck O’Neil Bridge will remain open, but it will be difficult getting to and from the bridge because of the closures, said Markle Johnson, a spokesman for the Kansas City District of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
The closures of the west and north sides of the loop begin at 12 a.m. Saturday and continue until 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
They are expected to have a significant impact on traffic, MoDOT said in a release.
During the closures, crews will do site survey work, including drilling holes beneath the surface to document the characteristics of the ground in that area, to collect geo-technical data and other information.
The work is part of an effort to build a replacement for the Buck O’Neil Bridge.
Here’s what drivers can expect this weekend:
Closures on southbound Interstate 35:
Ramp from westbound Interstate 70 to southbound I-35.
Ramp from Fifth Street/ Independence Avenue to southbound I-35.
Ramp from eastbound I-70 to southbound I-35.
Ramp to 12th Street from southbound I-35.
Ramp to eastbound Interstate 670 to southbound I-35.
Closures on northbound I-35:
Northbound I-35 at I-670 interchange.
Ramp from westbound I-670 to northbound I-35.
Ramp from 12th St. to northbound I-35.
Ramp to Buck O’Neil Bridge from northbound I-35.
Other closures:
Southbound I-35/westbound I-70 closed at southbound U.S. 71.
Ramp from northbound U.S. 71 to southbound I-35/westbound I-70.
Loop ramp from from Independence Avenue to southbound I-35/westbound I-70.
Ramp from southbound ramp from Missouri 9 to southbound I-35/westbound I-70.
Ramp from southbound I-35/westbound I70 to westbound Independence Avenue.
In addition to the survey work, the transportation department’s maintenance crews will replace joints on the bridge, cut brush and trees along the bridge and I-35, clean drains and remove graffiti.
Because the closures will make accessing the Buck O’Neil bridge difficult, drivers looking to access the Wheeler Downtown Airport from south of the Missouri River are being urged to take northbound Interstate 29 to southbound U.S. 169.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 12:53 PM.
