See when Kansas City road construction in Westport, Northland & more will finish
Traffic cones and metal plates are scattered over Kansas City as crews put the finishing touches on road construction ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
In two months, an estimated 650,000 visitors are expected to come to Kansas City for the six matches at Arrowhead, renamed Kansas City Stadium for the event.
These fans, along with residents, will move around the city to support their team, go to the fan fest and take in all the culinary delights the Heart of America has to offer.
While Kansas City’s first match is June 16, fans could start arriving sooner for their teams’ basecamps, and could stay until the quarterfinal on July 11.
Those people will add to traffic and congestion on Kansas City’s roads, which is why the city is wrapping up many of its infrastructure projects before June, from an 18th and Vine parking garage to a Westport underground reservoir. The Missouri Department of Transportation is also pausing work on many highway projects.
As the spokesperson for Kansas City’s public works department, Ryan McMonigle is preparing for a lot of ribbon cuttings in the next month in a half.
“City staff appreciates the public’s patience and cooperation and following various traffic control and dealing with the closures and detours and obstacles and everything,” he said. “But we’re hoping it’s all going to be worth it once everything opens up.”
Here are the estimated completion times of the road construction projects currently under construction, according to the city’s public works and water departments.
Construction finishing or pausing before the World Cup
- Charlotte Street Improvements: finish by the end of April. The midtown road was resurfaced with new sidewalks and curbs.
- 18th Street Pedestrian Mall: finish in May. By removing curbs and adding lights and benches, it will be easier for the 18th and Vine District to close the street for events, as neighborhood organizers plan to do for Juneteenth and the World Cup.
- 31st Street Streetscape (Main to Gillham): finish in May. In midtown, this project adds raised crosswalks and native landscaping.
- Grand Boulevard Bike and Pedestrian Bridge: finish in May. This pedestrian and bike bridge from the River Market to the Riverfront will adjoin the streetcar’s riverfront extension tracks.
- Stadium Drive and Raytown Road Intersection and Streetscape: finish in May. Between the VA hospital and I-70, crews added a bike path, sidewalk and a continuous center turn lane.
- Southwest Boulevard Streetscape and Westside Improvements: finish in May. The West Side corridor is transformed with new bike lanes, sidewalks and landscaping, along with upgraded water mains.
- Jazz District Parking Garage: finish in May. This 470 car parking garage in the 18th and Vine district will eventually feature a mural designed by a local artist. The ribbon cutting will be held May 22.
- North Topping Avenue Streetscape: finish in late spring. The goal of these new sidewalks and curbs is to improve pedestrian safety around Winnetonka High School and Topping Elementary school, located near Worlds of Fun.
- Westport Green Infrastructure Project: paused in June. The underground storage basin in the Sun Fresh parking lot and Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park will be finished by June, along with most of the underground work. While Westport and Mill Creek Roads will reopen for the World Cup, construction will resume afterward.
Construction continuing through the World Cup
- Raytown Road over Lumpkins Fork: finish in July. In south Kansas City, crews are replacing a Raytown Road bridge between Highway 150 and 137th Street. The structure was already closed, so construction does not affect traffic
- Lee’s Summit Road: finish during the summer. Located south of Independence on the eastern city limit, crews are removing dangerous curves and adding sidewalks, gutters and streetlights.
- Nashua Neighborhood Sidewalks: finish late summer. Crews are installing sidewalks around Nashua Elementary school, near the intersection of I-435 and U.S. 169 in the Northland.
- Front Street Reconstruction: finish in late 2027. This Northland road reconstruction project was delayed because of “significant utility issues,” according to McMonigle.
