Highway linking Northland with downtown KC reopens with ‘head-to-head’ lane — for now
Northland drivers have a small relief to their traffic woes, in the form of a one-lane northbound route.
The Missouri Department of Transportation announced U.S. 169 near the downtown airport opened to one lane in each direction starting Wednesday.
Now, northbound and southbound cars will drive in a “head-to-head” traffic pattern on the southbound U.S. 169 viaduct over BNSF Railway’s tracks, said Greg Bolon, Kansas City district engineer for MoDOT, in a January press conference.
Viral video showed bridge problem
A link between the Northland and downtown Kansas City, the northbound viaduct closed suddenly in December after MoDOT found structural issues.
A viral TikTok video showed a dashcam recording of the driver’s reaction after hitting a bridge joint raised one inch while driving over the bridge.
“What we found out is it wasn’t the surface expansion joint that was the problem,” Bolon said. “There was a shift in the soil underground which has caused the columns to move, and that movement has created some issues with the rockers underneath the beams.”
The evaluation found that the rockers had moved out of position and the bridge was not functioning the way it was supposed to, Bolon said.
Drivers to adjust travel times
After the closing, drivers reported slower traffic and the need to adjust their travel times on alternative routes.
Built in 1956, the bridge is nearing the end of its life cycle. MoDOT already planned to close the bridge in August, to begin a two-year replacement project.
After the U.S. 169 construction ends, MoDOT plans to begin replacing three bridges around the Bond bridge, on Interstates 29 and 35.
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton and Caroline Zimmerman contributed.
