‘Extensive closures’ coming next week as part of Buck O’Neil bridge replacement in KC
Drivers beware: A new phase in the Buck O’Neil Bridge replacement project begins next week and will cause extensive closure, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Kansas City District said in a news release.
The closures are part of the nearly $220 million project to replace the aging Buck O’Neil Bridge that connects downtown Kansas City to the Northland. While safe, the bridge over the Missouri River at the northwest corner of downtown is nearing the end of its projected service life.
Here is what drivers can expect in the coming weeks:
- Between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday, crews will reduce Beardsley Road to one lane between Fifth and Fourth streets so that crews can assemble a crane. A flagger will be in place to direct traffic.
- At 6 a.m. Sept. 27, the ramp from northbound Richards Road to northbound U.S. 169 highway will be closed so that crews can install new drainage and do grading and ramp resurfacing work. The ramp will be closed until Nov. 17.
- At 6 a.m. Sept. 28, the ramp from southbound U.S. 169 highway to Richards Road will be closed for similar work. The ramp will be closed until Nov. 17.
- From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 28, crews will close the ramp from northbound Interstate 35 to eastbound Interstate 70 for pipe inspection work.
- Between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sept. 29 and 30, crews will close the ramp from northbound I-35 to Sixth Street for pipe inspection work.
Construction on the replacement bridge is expected to start in late fall of this year and be completed by late fall of 2024.
The current bridge, which is near the Wheeler Downtown Airport, carries close to 50,000 vehicles per day. It was built in 1956 and has undergone significant repair in recent years.
