Kansas City recently celebrated some grand improvements to a major bridge in downtown. The Grand Boulevard Bridge over I-670 officially reopened on Friday, December 2nd, right after Kansas City and MODOT representatives held a ribbon cutting ceremony to praise all the collaboration that turned a three-year project into a nine-month success.
The Grand Boulevard Bridge was closed in the spring of 2016 after a MODOT inspection revealed structural issues. MODOT allocated $3.5 million to replace the bridge and Kansas City provided $1.1 million to make it easier and safer for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians to cross.
What’s Been Upgraded?
-Bike lanes
-Decorative railing on bike-lane protective barrier
-12-foot sidewalks and curb ramps
-Glass and acrylic panels for “pedestrian strands” art installation and sound blocking
-Vertical illuminated art elements
-LED Lighting
-Seating element
-Decorative fencing
Brian Kidwell, Assistant District Engineer at MoDot, explains how they were able to complete this project under budget and much faster than anticipated in the below video.