Here's what MoDOT plans to get northbound U.S. 169 traffic flowing again
Northbound U.S. 169 north of the Kansas City Downtown Airport will reopen sometime this spring, but not because repairs are being made to the bridge that was hastily closed last month after structural issues were found, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced Friday.
Instead, MoDOT officials will build crossovers to restore northbound traffic on the highway that cuts pass Kansas City’s Downtown Airport, said Greg Bolon, MoDOT’s Kansas City District engineer, during an afternoon press conference.
Once completed, northbound and southbound traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction and placed in a “head-to-head” traffic pattern across the southbound U.S. 169 viaduct over BNSF Railway’s tracks north of the airport, Bolon said.
The northbound U.S. 169 viaduct was closed on Dec. 16 after drivers noticed a problem with the bridge. Crews discovered a bridge joint was raised one inch and decided to close the bridge for cautionary purposes until further evaluations could be done, Bolon said at the time.
A viral TikTok video showed a dashcam recording of the driver’s reaction after hitting a raised bridge joint while driving over the bridge. After the closing, drivers reported slower traffic and the need to adjust their travel times on alternative routes.
“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.
“We’ve decided that we’re not going to try repair this bridge,” said Bolon, adding that it was scheduled to be closed in August after the World Cup as part of a replacement project. “We’re just going to leave it closed.”
By building the crossovers, it would provide a way for motorists to go northbound on U.S. 169, which is not possible with the viaduct closed, Bolon said.
The solution will have its drawbacks, hindering southbound traffic, Bolon said. Currently, two southbound lanes are open; after the crossovers are built, only one lane will remain open. The new traffic pattern will begin just north of the airport and end near Briarcliff Parkway.
An exact timeline for the construction of the crossovers has not yet been determined, but MoDOT expects them to be completed this spring. The project still needs to be designed. During construction, the southbound U.S. 169 viaduct may be closed for a few days while new traffic control delineators are put into place to keep the two lanes separated.
Speeds also will be reduced to 45 mph, Bolon said. Other impacts that this will have on drivers is that Missouri 9 traffic will not be able to access southbound U.S. 169 and northbound U.S. 169 will not be able to exit onto Missouri 9.
“What we want to tell people is that there are about 40,000 cars a day that run on U.S. 169, so when this goes to one lane, head-to-head traffic, you’re going to have slowdowns if all 40,000 people stay on U.S. 169,” Bolon said.
During the press conference, Bolon showed other Missouri River crossings, saying drivers should consider using them instead of U.S. 169. He specifically pointed out the Fairfax, Heart of America, and Chouteau bridges, urging drivers to consider altering their travel plans and using one of them instead.
The project to replace the northbound U.S. 169 viaduct will still go on as planned, with construction beginning in August, Bolon said. The head-to-head traffic pattern will probably last for more than two years, to allow for the whole project to be completed.
