New pedestrian bridge over Interstate 70 opens east of downtown Kansas City
A new pedestrian bridge over Interstate 70 has opened, giving pedestrians and bicyclists a safe way to cross the busy highway east of downtown Kansas City, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced this week.
The bridge crosses the interstate near East 25th Street, providing a connection between the city’s Washington Wheatley and East Community South neighborhoods.
The bridge ties into sidewalks on 25th Street on the south and west side of I-70 and 24th Terrace on the north and east side, said Matthew Rinehart, a spokesman for MoDOT’s Kansas City District.
The new bridge is approximately 250 feet long and about 14 feet wide, with a 12-foot walking path, Rinehart said. Lighting will also be installed on the bridge.
A former pedestrian bridge that crossed I-70 east of Van Brunt Boulevard near Oakley Avenue has already been demolished and will be replaced as part of the project, Rinehart said. However, the pedestrian bridge east of Lister Avenue near Cypress Avenue will be demolished and not replaced.
Construction on the 25th Street pedestrian bridge began last May as part of the Improve I-70 Kansas City project along a five-mile stretch of the highway between The Paseo and U.S. 40/31st Street. This section of I-70 was built in the early 1960s and carries up to 120,000 vehicles a day.
The $237 million project includes the rehabilitation or replacement of 12 interchanges and 26 bridges. Construction began last spring and is expected to be completed by December 2028.
