Construction work to replace gas lines across KC could be happening near you
If you've driven on The Paseo, specifically the section between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 49th Street, you may have noticed bulldozers and piles of dirt surrounding the grassy parts of the area.
This is just one part of a larger infrastructure project across Kansas City called the Integrity Program, according to representatives of Spire, the gas utility company that serves over a million customers in the region.
Spire is replacing old, steel pipes with new plastic pipes, which is referred to as “the modern day pipeline material.” This will prioritize safety and reliability, while lessening emissions for local communities.
According to the city of Kansas City, the construction near The Paseo and 49th started Jan. 21. A part of 49th and The Paseo was blocked off for around two weeks, though it was reopened March 6.
“Reliability is a big piece of this. Replacing the aging infrastructure with more modern day (infrastructures), which means that we are out there less working on it and doing maintenance on our facilities,” said Trey Kuchar, vice president of engineering and asset management at Spire. “So the experience for our customers should be the same, if not better.”
There’s roughly 9,000 miles of pipeline in Kansas City, according to Spire, with 100 to 140 pipes getting replaced per year. A majority of the pipes are roughly 75 years old, with some in the downtown area pushing 100 years old, which are also getting replaced.
Corey Koca, director of pipeline management at Spire, said that these projects are typically done in phases, where work is done through a specific part of town. The phase near 49th and Paseo started last summer will end in the middle of March.
Another project on The Paseo is happening off 63rd Street. This phase will be finished in April.
Those who are curious about projects in their neighborhood can find them on Spire’s website, spireenergy.com/upgrades, using your address or ZIP code. For example, searching the 64106 zip code will show three projects happening across downtown Kansas City, the River Market and the West Bottoms.
One of those projects is a pipe replacement in the area of 1st Street and Holmes Street in the River Market. The project length is 1,175 feet according to Spire, which started in October 2025 and is expected to finish in March.
“We’ll try to maintain maybe a six-month interval in between these phases, just so we are moving briskly through these projects up within reasonable sizes. So that we are not just planted in the area for very long lengths of time, that we keep progressing and moving through,” Koca said.
When asked if any projects could potentially take place amidst the World Cup, Spire said that they would be talking with the city to make sure any projects won’t be disrupting traffic during that time, though they still will be working.
“The city has communicated to all utilities (about) moratorium in certain areas, main thoroughfares (to make sure) Spire and other utilities are not impeding traffic and impacting that,” Koca said. “With our coordination with the city, they give us geographic areas, polygons and geographic information system. We overlay that with all of our projects. I think we had a couple projects that were in those polygons that we are emphasizing that we will get finished before the moratorium.”
Kansas City residents can contact Spire at its western Missouri number, 800-582-1234, with questions regarding the projects.
