Major route connecting KC to Northland closed after structural issues found
A major highway connecting Kansas City to the Northland is closed after the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Kansas City District discovered structural issues, a MoDOT official said.
Crews shut down northbound U.S. 169 at about 10 a.m. Tuesday after finding issues with the bridge over BNSF Railway’s tracks north of Kansas City’s Downtown Airport, Greg Bolon, Kansas City District Engineer for MoDOT, said during a 2 p.m. press conference.
On Tuesday morning, MoDOT crews found the side of the bridge joint was raised one inch. After an inspector looked at the structure, “(w)e decided to go ahead and close the bridge for cautionary purposes until further evaluations can be made,” Bolon said.
The bridge will remain closed for a week or more until more inspections occur, Bolon said. With more information, MoDOT officials can decide how to keep the bridge open safely for the next 8 months until it is replaced.
For drivers, access to the airport will be maintained on northbound U.S. 169, also known as the Broadway extension, on an access lane across the Buck O’Neill Bridge at West Fifth Street and Broadway, Bolon said. Airport traffic will be required to exit at Northeast Harlem Road.
Meanwhile, all ramps from Richards Road at the airport to northbound U.S. 169 will be closed. The ramp from Interstate 35 to northbound U.S. 169 will also be closed to keep traffic off the closed highway. Traffic leaving the airport will have to use southbound U.S. 169. The airport can also be accessed from the north by using southbound U.S. 169.
Built in 1956, the bridge is nearing the end of its life cycle. Construction to replace the bridge is scheduled to begin after the World Cup, beginning about July or August of next year, Bolon said. The bridge replacement project is part of the MoDOT’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
During construction, northbound U.S. 169 traffic will be detoured via Missouri 9/Burlington Street and Interstate 29/35 through North Kansas City.
At the press conference, Bolon also announced that MoDOT will reduce the bridge that carries northbound Missouri 291 over the Missouri River on the eastern side of the metro to one lane, and set a weight limit of 35 tons. The one lane will be down the center line of the bridge.
The bridge has been in service since 1949. By reducing it to one lane, it will allow the northbound bridge to remain open until it is replaced as part of the Missouri 291 Design-Build Project, which is set to be awarded in late 2026 and completed between 2028 and 2029.
Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, the northbound bridge will be closed to get it ready for the one-lane configuration. It is expected to reopen by that afternoon. After the bridge is reduced to one lane, northbound traffic will be required to do a zipper-merge.
“We are asking that drivers be nice to each other and let traffic in because two lanes will zipper down into one lane,” Bolon said.
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM.
