Travel to KC’s Northland slows with bridge closure, causing World Cup traffic worries
Drivers are feeling the impacts of U.S. 169 Highway being closed after the Missouri Department of Transportation found structural issues this week in a bridge just north of Kansas City’s Downtown Airport.
The northbound lanes of U.S. 169 closed Tuesday as a precaution after inspectors looked at the structure, a MoDOT engineer said at a press conference this week.
Drivers have since reported slower traffic in the southbound lanes of U.S. 169, and the need to adjust their schedules to account for longer travel times on alternate routes.
One driver said she encountered the bridge closure on her way to Parkville this week. Deborah Buckner, 66, a resident of Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood, said she fortunately doesn’t rely on taking 169 every day.
“I live south of the river, so I do not have a daily commute across the river, but I have family in Parkville and I own property there,” Buckner said in a text.
Buckner recounted how recent road projects in Kansas City, like the Heart of America Bridge, caused detours and delays. She said she expects more travel time with 169 north closed again.
“I was relieved when the new (Heart of America) bridge was completed and (northbound) 169 opened again,” Buckner said. “But not long after, the exit to Highway 9 closed, and I had months of detouring to (Interstates) 635 and 29.”
Bucker said she was driving on the Buck O’Neil bridge Tuesday when, with no warning, traffic was routed to the far left lane. When she made it to Parkville, she checked Facebook and found out about the new closure on U.S. 169.
On her route back, she decided to avoid U.S. 169 and took Missouri 9 Highway south through Kansas City and the Heart of America Bridge.
Thinking ahead to this summer, Buckner said she is worried about how the closure will impact traffic during the World Cup.
“The northbound traffic on the bridge was backed up a long way,” Buckner said. “I’m sure this will be the case for some time.”
Closure affects KC businesses
As a Kansas City area chauffeur driver, Chris Rodgers said he is directly impacted by the U.S. 169 bridge closure. He said he often takes Interstate 35 to U.S. 169 when driving clients to the airport.
But even with the closure forcing alternate routes and longer drive times, Rodgers said he is optimistic that traffic won’t back up too much.
“This most certainly will add more troubles with transportation, but we will manage,” Rodgers said. “U.S. 169 was down for two years while they built that overpass. We lived.”
Traffic was at a stand-still for some time Thursday morning when first responders worked to clear the scene of a three-car crash in the southbound lanes of U.S. 169.
A Kansas City Fire Department spokesman said crews were dispatched around 6:28 a.m. in the area of U.S. 169 and Missouri 9 Highway. Three cars were involved in an accident, and one person was taken to a hospital.
Crews were on scene for “an extended period of time” until the crash was cleared from the highway, said Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.
“Traffic usually flows pretty well here in Kansas City, but if there is an accident it can shut things down,” Rodgers said. “Heavy traffic here isn’t bad, but we like to complain about it.”
Another driver who saw delays from the closure this week was Justin Sims, who owns Gold Cathedral Tattoo in the Crossroads.
Sims said he often takes U.S. 169 to get to and from his Northland home. With the I-29 ramp closed on I-670, U.S. 169 was his only option without going too far out of the way.
“My biggest concern is the World Cup,” Sims said. “I was already a bit worried about crossing the river for my commute to work. Now it may be a complete nightmare.”
“With the bridge being closed it may make it hard for our clients coming from that direction to get to the Crossroads,” he said.
Alternate routes in the Northland
The bridge will remain closed for a week or more until more inspections occur, according to Greg Bolon, Kansas City District Engineer for MoDOT. With more information, MoDOT officials can decide how to keep the bridge open safely for the next 8 months until it is replaced.
In an email Thursday, a MoDOT spokeswoman said evaluation of the bridge is still ongoing.
Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes, including Missouri 9 Highway, Interstates 29 and 35, Heart of America Bridge and Kit Bond Bridge to navigate around the closure.
Drivers can also use the MoDOT Traveler Information Map and Kansas City Scout to plan alternate routes ahead of time.
Previous reporting by The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton contributed.
