What is kcICON?
This $245 million “interstate connections” project will upgrade Interstate 29/35 to six lanes from just north of the Route 210/Armour Road interchange to Independence Avenue. An additional southbound lane will be built from the northeast corner of the Central Business District loop to Oak Street. Numerous on-ramps and off-ramps will be rebuilt and several interchanges reconfigured.
An “iconic” cable-stayed bridge expandable to eight lanes and capable of accommodating a future bicycle/pedestrian facility will also be built just east (downstream) of the existing Paseo Bridge.
Why kcICON?
The I-29/35 corridor leading into downtown Kansas City is already heavily used (an average of 102,000 vehicles each day) and forecasts show traffic volumes will continue to rise. This congestion increases travel time, fuel costs and pollution, and is a contributing factor to the rising number of crashes along the corridor. Without increased capacity, these issues are likely to worsen.
In addition, the Paseo Bridge itself is more than 50-years-old and will need to be rehabilitated or replaced altogether if this structure is to remain in use over the next 60 to 75 years.