Kansas City streetcar project will close this bridge for two months. See the detours
Dog lovers and KC Current fans know it well: the curving, elevated road leading from the River Market down to the Berkley Riverfront.
Some call it the Grand Boulevard Bridge. Online maps refer to it as Berkley Parkway. With no sidewalk, it’s common to see pedestrians walking along its narrow shoulder between Chinatown Food Market and riverfront attractions like Bar K and the new CPKC Stadium.
But not for long. This curving stretch of road will temporarily close Monday, Sept. 9, and remain closed to all traffic for two months. That includes pedestrians, bikers, drivers and stadium shuttle buses.
“The entire closure is anticipated to last approximately 60 days, beginning Monday, September 9, and reopening at the end of the day on Thursday, November 7, weather and unforeseen circumstances permitting,” the streetcar’s riverfront extension project site states.
The project has mapped out alternative routes between the River Market and Berkley Riverfront for the two-month closure.
For vehicles, the detour in both directions involves going on Interstate 29 to circumvent the River Market. For pedestrians, the roughly mile-long walk involves using the Town of Kansas Bridge and either taking several flights of stairs or an outdoor elevator down to the Riverfront Heritage Trail.
Why is the Grand Blvd. Bridge closing for two months?
The closure is part of the Kansas City Streetcar’s Riverfront Extension, an 0.7-mile addition to the current streetcar line. The newly added track will take passengers between the current River Market loop and Berkley Riverfront Park, a short walk from the new KC Current stadium and other attractions.
According to the project website, the road work on the bridge will include a 45-day track installation phase followed by two weeks of additional work removing an Evergy coal chute that slants over the roadway just north of 2nd Street.
The chute used to carry coal for the Vicinity Energy steam plant just east of Grand Boulevard until the plant switched to burning natural gas in 2017. Overhead catenary wires will eventually be installed over the newly laid tracks to provide power to the streetcar vehicles — so the unused overhead chute has to go.
If everything goes according to plan, the Grand Boulevard Bridge should be open again by the end of the day on Thursday, Nov. 7 — just in time for some of the River Market’s weekend crowds.
How do I get between the River Market and Berkley Riverfront during the closure?
While the segment of road being closed measures only about half a mile, alternate routes mapped by the streetcar project between the two popular areas are much longer.
To get from the River Market to the riverfront, drivers are advised to head south on Grand Boulevard and turn left on East 5th Street. Once you pass under the Heart of America Bridge, turn right and continue on Independence Avenue past Columbus Park.
When you reach The Paseo, turn left and merge onto I-29 North. Then take the first exit — Exit 4 — and turn left to go under the highway and emerge on Berkley Parkway. This route is around 2.7 miles.
To drive from the riverfront to the River Market, head east on Berkley Parkway and get onto I-29 South. When it turns into Route 71 going east, take exit 2F and turn right on Grand Boulevard to reach the River Market. This route measures around 2.4 miles.
To get between the two locations on foot, you can take the Riverfront Heritage Trail. To get there from the River Market, walk to the intersection of 2nd Street and Main Street. Then head north over the Town of Kansas footbridge to the Missouri River viewing deck.
From there, you can take the stairs or elevator down to the trail, and head east along the river until you reach your destination. In total, you can expect to walk about a mile to get from one end of the road closure to the other.
Do you have questions about development or infrastructure in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
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