KC knew Westport-Broadway intersection is ‘a crash hot spot.’ There’s already a fix

The collision of a Kansas City firetruck and an automobile claimed three lives near the intersection of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard on Dec. 15.

We don’t know precisely why the accident, which killed two people in the car and a pedestrian, happened. Kansas Citians should wait until all the facts are in before assigning responsibility for the crash.

This much we do know, however: The Westport-Broadway intersection is a mess, one of the most dangerous road crossings in Midtown and perhaps the entire city. It must be made more safe, as soon as possible.

The good news? Plans to improve the intersection, and most of Broadway in Midtown, are already available. City Hall should take them up, make whatever adjustments are necessary, then proceed with an overhaul of one the strangest roadways you’ll ever see.

Anyone who has driven Broadway Boulevard or Westport Road knows how difficult it is. The intersection’s wide lanes invite high speed, erratic driving. The boulevard’s natural dip at the intersection, which marks the start of its descent into the Brush Creek basin, makes things worse.

Pedestrians heading west to east must cross five lanes of pavement, then pause at a small island, then face more traffic to get from one section of the Westport district to the other. It isn’t remotely walkable.

And the intersection is uniquely confusing and unnatural. Broadway bends from the Kansas City grid just north of the intersection because Westport Road was laid out on a relative diagonal before cars existed. Drivers unfamiliar with the road change can be confused.

And that’s during the day. It’s even worse at night, or in bad weather.

“The area has an uninviting and dangerous reputation,” a 2018 study concluded. “This area is a crash hot spot for bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle crashes.”

That study, which cost around $70,000, was called Midtown Complete Streets. For months, experts surveyed intersections up and down Broadway, Southwest Trafficway, and Wornall Road, and along 39th and 43rd streets as well.

The public weighed in. The final plan recommended major changes in the area, including a reduction in driving lanes, better pedestrian crossings and improved traffic signals (including “emergency responder preempts” for fire and police vehicles.)

There were also specific plans for the Westport Road intersection with Broadway: more parking spaces instead of car lanes, new bicycle lanes, improved streetscapes and pedestrian access.

Nearly 60% of residents who responded supported the Broadway changes. The total cost? Around $8 million. The savings from fewer crashes? An estimated $62.3 million over 20 years, the best cost-to-benefit ratio in the entire plan.

We now know lives might be saved as well. Fixing this intersection makes infinitely more sense than, say, putting a park on a bridge.

Naturally, the Midtown Complete Streets plan still sits on a shelf. Opposition from some nearby business and property owners has been a problem. The study itself put the Broadway improvements at the bottom of the to-do list.

Now is the time to bring it back. Broadway may get even more crowded and confusing as Main Street is torn up for the streetcar.

Kansas City Council member Eric Bunch agrees. This week he said he’ll suggest another look at Midtown Complete Streets, with some urgency this time.

“Absolutely we should revisit it,” he said. “Broadway is one of the most dangerous streets in the city … There’s a plan, and we should do it.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.