Ramp to southbound I-35 on north side of Kansas City’s downtown loop to close next week
Drivers on the north side of Kansas City’s downtown loop will find various lanes and ramps closed next week as part of the Buck O’Neil Bridge replacement project, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Transportation said in a news release Friday.
The closures will allow crews to prepare for the start of bridge work along the westbound Interstate 70 ramp to southbound Interstate 35 just after Broadway Boulevard, said Lairyn McGregor, a spokeswoman for MoDOT’s Kansas City District.
During that part of the project, the ramp from westbound I-70 to I-35 will close and will remain closed until November. Drivers will need to use westbound Interstate 670 on the south side of the downtown loop to access I-35.
That closure will have a significant impact to traffic, McGregor said. There will not be a signed detour and motorists are advised to plan ahead, plan for delays and find alternative routes.
MoDOT Kansas City sent out a traffic alert on Twitter on Friday.
Here is the timing of the closings that people traveling in the area can expect:
- At 6 a.m. Monday, crews will close the ramps from Beardsley Road and eastbound I-70 to Sixth Street. The ramps will remain closed for bridge work until June.
- At 9 a.m. Monday, crews will close the right lane of westbound I-70 at Broadway. The lane will be closed until about 3:30 p.m.
- At 6 a.m. Tuesday, the ramps from Fifth Street and westbound I-70 to southbound I-35 will close. They will remain closed until November. Crews will also close the left lane of I-70 in both directions at Broadway about 3:30 p.m.
- Beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, eastbound I-70 will close at southbound I-35, westbound I-70 will close at northbound I-35, southbound I-35 will close at westbound I-70 and Northbound I-35 will close at eastbound I-670. They will remain close until 5 a.m. Monday. During the closings, drivers should use I-670 on the south side of the downtown loop.
Also from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, the following will be closed:
- The ramp from Beardsley Road to westbound I-70.
- The ramp from Fifth Street to westbound I-70.
- The ramp from Fifth Street to southbound I-35.
- The ramp from Independence Avenue to westbound I-70.
- The ramp from Missouri 9 highway to westbound I-70.
- The ramp from East Independence Avenue/Troost Avenue to westbound I-70.
- The ramp from 12th Street to northbound I-35 will be closed.
The closings are part of the project to replace the aging Buck O’Neil Bridge on Kansas City’s northwest side of downtown. The bridge, which carries U.S. 69 highway over the Missouri River, is a key connection that ties the Northland to downtown Kansas City and communities further south.
The bridge, which opened in 1956, carries about 50,000 across the Missouri River each day. The new bridge will cost about $220 million to build and is expected to be completed by December 2024.
