The Line Creek Loudmouth

First Look at the New Buck O'Neil Bridge

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded the contract for the new US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge to the winning design-build proposer on Tuesday.  I couldn't get my hands on the material presented at the commission meeting because I didn't fill out a Sunshine Law request on Tuesday like I should have but I did download the commission meeting video and spliced the video which is posted below. 

Using the design-build process, the project is within the $220M construction budget.  The renderings shown below are screenshots from the video so they aren't the greatest but I pulled them out to try and give you some orientation as you watch the video.  In all the pictures, the red arrow points to the north.  I didn't want to screen out the renderings so I used the chicken scratch yellow arrows to show the direct I-35 connections and orange arrows to show the downtown Broadway access.  The first one is high above from the Historic West Bottoms looking to the northeast.

The next one is a little more close up looking northeast showing the direct connects. 

This one is right above the buildings along 5th street looking north at the new bridges and how the direct connections split.

The one below is over the Missouri River looking north.  There is a sidewalk trail on the east side of the bridge.

The next one is looking northeast along Beardsley Road just south of 4th Street but north of I-70.

The next one is looking west from 4th and Broadway/Woodsweather.  The old bridge would be right over the top of where the picture would be taken.

Lastly, this is looking northwest at the downtown airport from high above I-70 downtown.

You can watch the video and pause it and rewind it to see it all.  It's a long clip.  The first gentleman talking is Patrick McKenna who is the MoDOT Director and the second is Ed Hassinger who is the Chief Engineer.  I included them in the video because they give some background but also give thanks to their dedicated staff who has been working some long hours the past two months reviewing the desi9n-build proposals and going through all the government red tape to get to this point. 

I know that the project director Mary Miller has been working long days the past two weeks straight getting this very complex project to this point.  I can't say how proud I am of all the folks that have worked on this project.  This is a big deal for the region and will be a lasting legacy for everyone involved in the project.  Enjoy the video but keep in mind the final details will still need to be worked out this year during the formal design process and things may end up being slightly different.

 

 

US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge Update

Well amazing what a six month hiatus does to average daily page views...... 

Let me just say it's been one heck of a six months.  You wouldn't believe anything I would tell you about it other than as of two weeks ago, I am no longer with KCMO so now I can officially take off the muzzle and contribute as a 100% private citizen. 

Now keep in mind being a private citizen and taxpayer first while working in government was a major factor in my effectiveness because I ignored a lot of time wasting meetings, "no-value added" red tape, and make work processes that some people thrive on following and miss the forest from the trees.  If you're in government, just remember it takes a lot of effort to fire you so do what you need to do and work for the citizens.  It's kind of fun figuring out ways around the roadblocks.  Before I digress more and before I get started on the post just a little reminder that your elected officials are under a lot of stress and you should be praying for them as they handle all of this mayhem.  What a weird and stressful time.

We are almost at the point of no return on a new US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge.  On Wednesday the KCMO Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hear Ordinance 200222 which authorizes a funding agreement between KCMO and MoDOT and will be the final piece in the financing puzzle.  You can go to the ordinance website and download the PowerPoint presentation or you can watch the video below that I converted from a PPT to a 1:45 video file that's easier to absorb then downloading, finding it, and clicking through it.

In case you have forgotten, we are four years into federally required environmental planning that must be undertaken before a new bridge moves into design and construction.  Last August I did a post on the US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge alternatives that were being considered.  Sidetracking here but a lot of you responded (I think it was over 1700 comments) and there was a zip code map created which showed a lot of turnout from 64151 and areas all over the metro so you taking the time to participate really did help move the conversation and get us to where I think we need to be.

Over the winter those alternatives have been refined based on comments and other considerations and the Environmental Assessment (EA) is almost complete and there is a "preferred alternative" which has been released for public comment.  I highlighted "preferred alternative" because that's the federal process buzzword and it is important to note that this project will be a "design-build" project where the designer and builder will be teamed together and submit a bid on the project with a design and a price.  You can watch this 9+ minute US DOT video on the process if you get bored (or it rains tomorrow and you've got nothing to do outside).   There's a chance that someone (hopefully) comes up with a better final design than the preferred alternative so what gets built won't look exactly like what is being shown. 

Also, there's no rendering or detail on what the new bridge will look like because that's up to the design-build team to figure out.  Well you might be asking how do we know we are getting what we were promised?  That's a perfectly legitimate question.  What the EA does have are commitments for the project which are listed below.  You'll note commitment B-3 because that's what a lot of you noted in your August comments as being important to the project.  All of these items will need to be done by the design-build team in order to be a responsive and eligible bidder.

Here is an overview of where we are in the project schedule from the public hearing displays presented on March 10th.

Here is recap of the study area.  Don't freak out about the study extending all the way up to the MO 9 interchange.  These federal studies have to have a ending point at an intersection or another highway.  Nothing is going to be done to the section between Briarcliff and the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (CWBDA in acronym world).

Here's the expensive West Alternative. 

Here's the central and preferred alternative.

And lastly here is the adjacent alternative which costs just the same as the central but is more impactful to properties, the urban fabric, and more structure to maintain.

The north end of the CWBDA er Downtown Airport will get an improvement for ingress/egress and since there's not much room to manuever will probably look exactly like this.  It will get a new southbound on-ramp to replace one removed at the bridge today.  This will cut down on some of you "cutters" who make everything worse by creating the a double merge delay on the bridge today.   It would have been a little clearer to label the new, relocated, and improved ramps.

The left exits at the bridge will go away and people will only be able to get off when going northbound from the new bridge to get to the Airport.  The existing ramps halfway up the outer road will be upgraded with some more acceleration/deceleration distance.  Wasn't much that could be done here because there's always concern in this town with losing one parking space even if it solves world peace.  I mean seriously what is it with this town and parking?  I parked for free downtown for 10 years yet all I hear is people saying it's a pain in the rear to park downtown.  Of course I walked four tenths of a mile one way but it saved me $70/month and allowed me to lavishly partake in a steady fast food and pizza diet.  I know you aren't afraid of walking because I see a lot of you doing it more and more lately.........

Also in retrospect it might have been better to do the outer road pavement in a different color to differentiate it and make it easier to see but when these were being developed I kind of had my attention on other things.

Lastly since it's an environmental document, here's all of the environmental issues and items mapped with the preferred alternative overlaid on them.  It's kind of like a game of operation.  Squeeze the improvements in without touching anything that will make US DOT buzz.

The alternatives were evaluated using a matrix and which graphically summarizes how a lot of the discussion and analysis in the document.

Also below are the draft project goals and draft design-build procurement schedule.

Now all of this is contingent on the city/state funding ordinance passing out of committee this week.  Since City Hall is closed to visitors, it's actually rather easy to share your opinion on the matter.  Just put Ordinance 200222 in the subject and send an email to [email protected] and keep it short and sweet unless you want to add "the folks in the City Clerk's office are underappreciated and underpaid and Council should realize how much they make Council's job easier and pay them more because they are some of the funnest people to work with in City Hall."

Here is the official notice from the meeting agenda on how to watch and participate. 

Due to the State of Emergency declared for the City of Kansas, with the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people, we are asking residents to watch the meetings online and submit public comments by email.

Those who wish to comment on proposed ordinances can email written testimony to [email protected]. Comments received during the ordinance discussion will be read aloud by the City Clerk during the public comment period. Comments received after the ordinance discussion will be added to the public record by the Clerk.

The city provides several ways for residents to watch City Council meetings:
• Livestream on the city’s website at www.kcmo.gov
• Livestream on the city’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYYgwhGr1HSqRi_h5uPF2Kg
• Watch Channel 2 on your cable system. The channel is available through Time Warner Cable (channel 2 or 98.2), AT&T U-verse (channel 99 then select Kansas City) and Google Fiber on Channel 142.
• To watch archived meetings, visit the City Clerk’s website and look in the Video on Demand section: http://kansascity.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

Since the pictures above might be a little hard to see, here is a slightly zoomed in view of the preferred alternative so you can see the text.

Here is MoDOT's project webpage for the new US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge where you can follow along.  Also you need to follow their YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts to stay in the loop.  The people who produce content for MoDOT spend a lot of time and effort putting this information out there and so they want you to be as informed as possible because there's nothing more annoying than someone when construction starts or gets finished dropping the old "I didn't know ANYTHING about this."  Don't be that person.

Just so you know a post like this takes about two hours to work up which I usually use to watch cartoons with toddlers so we'll see how the Line Creek Loudmouth evolves going forward.  Feel free to give me some feedback on what you think I should focus on.  Check out all the category tags on the right side of the website and let me know what you find interesting.  I'd appreciate positive feedback because I am fully aware that I am a balding head stooge and make almost everything up even though I couldn't make up half the stuff I do even if I tried............

Also if this is your first foray into the new US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge, you can read all my past posts by clicking on the subject tag here and get caught up on everything I had time to share.

US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge Detailed Alternatives

Well things are starting to get real.  There are now somewhat detailed drawings showing where the new US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge might go unlike the bubble renderings completed during the larger I-70/US 169 study.  MoDOT has created a narrated online public meeting.  It provides some explanation of what all is going on and you can watch it at your convenience.  To avoid skewing or imparting personal bias, I'm just going to lay out the slides.  I will say that this is probably the most complex project MoDOT has undertaken in the past twenty-five years because of the complexity of the Missouri River, a functioning and busy airport, a transcontinental railroad river crossing, three separate railroads with geometric constraints, historical area of the origin of Kansas City, commuter and through traffic, and urban connectivity.  There's no easy answer otherwise it would have been done earlier.

In all of these slides, the Charles Wheeler Downtown Airport is above the top of the aerial, I-70 goes from left to right, and the I-35 west freeway loop is in the lower left hand corner.  The options get more expensive the further west the bridge goes because of the geometry of the three railroads and limited places to put bridge piers.

First option is the "No Build" Alternative.  Federal process requires establishing a baseline condition to show what happens if nothing is done. 

For the "Build" alternatives, the exhibits are color coded.  The dark blue denotes long span bridges.  Long span bridges like the span over the main channel can be 300-450 feet long but the girders have to be steel and are like 12-20' feet tall.  The light green denotes short span bridges.  These can be 20-150 or so feet long and can be concrete or steel.  This is your typical overpass bridge like the one we are building at Old Tiffany Springs Road over I-29.  The yellow denotes pavement on existing grade or built on with retaining walls.  The light blue denotes the I-35 direct connect flyovers.  In all the alternatives, the new bridge will have three lanes northbound for merging as crossing the river and one of the lanes will function as an exit only lane for the ramp to the Downtown Airport exit because there's no way to widen US 169 north of the airport because of the River and railroad yard.

The West Alternative is the most expensive because of the geometry of the three railroads creates a very limited places to put bridge piers hence more dark blue.

The Central Alternative is a little cheaper than the West because there's more room to place bridge piers so the bridge spans are shorter (and consequently cheaper).  It has less dark blue and more light blue which leads to a lower cost.

The consultant team did a rough exhibit to show what the I-35 direct connect flyovers would look like because the urban design and impact of this project is important to understand. 

The Adjacent Alternative builds the shortest bridge possible but adds some additional turn lanes to push more cars through the 6th and Broadway traffic signals.

The Adjacent Alternative has the option to add I-35 direct connection flyovers later which is shown below.

There isn't planned to be much change to the highway north of the Missouri River.  The left hand ramps will go away and Richards Road will be slightly adjusted to the west to make the right-in, right-out ramps up to proper standards for high speed merging.  These changes will require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration which adds another level of complexity to figuring all of this out.

Lastly, since the Trump Administration announced the 2019 INFRA grants and Missouri received $81M to build a new Rocheport I-70 Bridge, that triggers Governor Parson's $300M bridge bonding program.  For details on that, check out Fox4's Dave D'Marko's story last month.

Now that you've read all this, watch the online public meeting.

You are now up to speed on the project.  Here's the key part.  During the I-70/US 169 study that started all of this, over 2700 of you participated with the online surveys.  The response was from all over the metro as shown in this zip code heat map.  

Let's duplicate that response and make sure you share the presentation and survey with your friends.

Here is the official MoDOT US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge online public meeting page.

Here is the survey.  Make sure you do this as soon as you can.  I created a FB page event to remind you if you want to click here and add it to your calendar.  Don't pass up the opportunity to help influence decisions that will impact the greater Kansas City metro area for the next 75 years.

US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge Public Meeting (Online For Your Convenience)

Happy New Year!  The weather has sucked and I've been busy.  Also, I've got a four year old who loves watching Scooby Doo on the couch with me before bed and frankly I'd rather do that than sit at a computer posting stuff.  In fact as soon as he gets done with his apple, he's going to be over here wondering when this post will be done.  Too bad he's going to have to wait until his little sister gets done with the book she's flipping through on my lap.....

First off, in case you were wondering, the big "Beyond the Loop"  Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) planning study is over.  The big planning study being the one that looked at I-70, US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge, and MO-9/Heart of American crossing.  You can review the final plan and presentation at the MARC website here.  I just want to highlight a few things.  First off, a lot of people took time to engage the planning process using the online surveys and it showed in the data.  There were a lot of responses from the 64150/51 zip codes so I know a lot of you took the time to take the surveys which was awesome.  The planning process got more data than paid presidential polling.

While that planning process was going on, some things happened.  Kansas City and MoDOT secured a $25M federal TIGER grant towards the new bridge.  Kansas City renewed its 1 cent sales tax and the MARC region devoted $40M towards the new bridge.

MoDOT did some repairs to keep the bridge open so that a new bridge could be cleared environmentally and then bid for construction.  In case you wanted to see what condition the bridge was in, I pilfered some pictures from MoDOT's Flickr page.  The existing bridge is a "Tied Arch Bridge" which I have an opinion on but I'll let you look at whether or not it is a bridge type built to be easily maintained.  Here is what the bridge deck joints looked like.

Here are the Governor and Mayor probably wondering how many times they drove across the bridge in the past year after they saw its condition and how safe it was to park their vehicles on the bridge with that big gap in the expansion joint. The Governor has a look on his face like "Are you sure it's safe to be standing here????"

Here's a shot showing all the rust in the members that can't be "unrusted" and would need to be replaced with a $50M bridge rehab. 

And yes, I do drive my big van and family across the bridge so you don't need to worry about it now that the short term, critical repair project is done.

Anyways, the PEL was one federal process and now there's a new process to complete an environmental study on just the new bridge crossing.  MoDOT has set up a website for the project here that you can bookmark.  There is an open house (ie no formal presentation) public meeting tomorrow, Tuesday 2/12/2019, at MARC at 600 Broadway but you can review the materials with an online public meeting.  I'm just going to post the displays for you here before you go there so you can see them all at once.

So above is all the stuff that is the base of the study.  Now below are the three cones of impact from a new bridge.  Please note that there's a "process" which must be adhered (and I've written like eight things and deleted them) so I'm not going to explain or editorialize.  The "cones" are areas to be environmentally cleared and don't mean that's how wide or where exactly new bridge or ramps are going.  This is the first step "in the process" so you need to review and provide feedback however that may be.

Eastern alignment with new bridge right next to existing bridge and any traffic improvements at the existing 5th/6th and Broadway interchange.

Center alignment with new connections somewhere just west of Broadway.

Western alignment with the most direct I-35 connection.

Also being looked at is how the Woodsweather Road connection is impacted by a new bridge.

So now you need to TAKE THE SURVEY.  You also need to share the survey.  Help repeat the engagement level of the PEL study.  Now if you'll excuse me, someone's getting cranky about his Scooby Doo and someone's crawling up the stairs....

US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge Environmental Study Final Alternatives

Well final conceptual alternatives have been posted to the www.beyondtheloopkc.com website in case you've signed up for updates.  You also need to take the online survey which shows all of the concepts and provide your thoughts in the simple sliding scale.  The survey will look like the screenshot below so you can read, review, process, and rate it.

Before I get started, let me just say you all did a great job engaging in the first survey.  Below is a heat map of responses and as you can see, the I-29 corridor was well represented.

There has been quite a bit of scuttlebutt on how a direct connection to I-35 is possible and there are four ideas.  All of these would be a heck of a lot easier and cheaper if that WB 70 to SB 35 flyover ramp was gone or could be an at-grade intersection.  I'm going to try and overview them while a six month old sits in my lap and tries to grab every cord and piece of paper on the desk in front of her.

The first concept builds the new bridge to the far west with a connection to 4th Street and that's the main way to access downtown from north of the river.

The second one builds the new bridge to the far west and makes the north of the river connection from 5th and 6th Street.

The third one builds the new bridge to the far west and is kind of like the first option above (4th Street) but is more connected to Broadway.

The fourth one builds the new bridge right next to the existing bridge but still has a direct connection to I-35 so north-south access wouldn't be forced to sit at the stoplights at 5th or 6th Street. 

The survey also wants your input on the I-70 north loop portion of the project.  Option below removes all the ramps.

Option below skinnies up the interstate but pushes it up next to 6th Street.

Option below skinnies up the interstate but pushes it up next to 5th Street.

Last option removes the interstate and traffic uses a connected Independence Avenue and 6th Street.

You also can voice your temperature on lowering Route 9 back to street level.  Right now it's an elevated freeway with multiple bridges that were built in the 80's.  At some point in the next twenty years those bridges are going to need to be replaced and the way MoDOT is broke, it's a question of do we want double down on the way it is or look at something else.  Most of the traffic on Route 9 goes straight into downtown so all it does is allow me in the morning to do 30 until I get to the stop light in North Kansas City at 10th Street, then race up to 60 and hope KCPD isn't running radar, and then stop at the traffic signal at Admiral. 

If we have a new US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge with direct connection to I-35, a great deal of traffic will start using the US 169/Broadway Extension corridor which makes this option feasible.  The difference in the two renderings below is one puts Route 9 to the east and the other pushes it to the west.

I got distracted with what I thought was a smelly diaper and some kids who wanted to paint so if there's any incoherent thoughts or I missed anything, all of these displays can be downloaded for your enjoyment in a rather large PDF here.  I just took the time to screenshot the ones I thought were interesting. 

Also, this is all moot if KCMO voters don't vote to renew a one cent capital improvements sales tax tomorrow.  This tax has existed since the 80's I think and you can read the official FAQ page here.

I created a FB event for you to like so you don't forget.  Just click here.

 

US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge Environmental Study and Short Term Repair Update

Rather than scrolling social media on the couch, I tried to compile some videos from the local media about the US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge project and everything that is going on in addition to my more detailed post earlier this week.  I will also remind you that if you haven't lately, you need to visit the www.beyondtheloopkc.com website and take the survey on the concept strategies being discussed about the bridge and the north freeway loop.

Yesterday the KCMO City Council did quite a few good things that were overshadowed by KCI Airport.

Lost in today's shuffle @joliejustus sponsored Ordinance 180102 which fully funds the Armour Rd protected bike lane project. KCMO City Council to hear next week for approval. https://t.co/ujZATV0sWH

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) February 9, 2018

KCMO City Council approves Ordinance 180055 which streamlines installing bike racks in the public right of way.https://t.co/uCvrOFANkv

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) February 8, 2018

The biggest one was this one.

KCMO City Council just approved Ordinance 180068 which completes funding package for 2018 short term rehab & environmental study needed for new 169 Buck O'Neil bridge@BeyondTheLoopKC https://t.co/fCklWeO0jh

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) February 8, 2018

What does that mean?  Well it means that work will begin this summer on a short term fix and the environmental document (I thought Trump was going to blow up these needless federal bureaucracies) for a new US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge.  Watch this dude (who must have a lot of kids because he seems to have less and less hair every time I see him on TV) explain what this all means.  I also uploaded an audio for you podcast people.

Here are some local media stories.  I'll leave out the credit citation because they all have their logos in the video and I'm embedding from their YT sites.  Everything on this project is fluid.  I mean a year ago, we had nothing and now we've got a plan in place to fund a new bridge so things change and some of these stories are six+ months old but it will give you an idea of everything being discussed.

I also encourage you to check out and bookmark MoDOT's US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge project webpage.  MoDOT KC staff have stepped up their game on a lot of things and have a ton of information to share about things they are working on. 

 

 

 

 

A New US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge Is Now Up to the Voters

A lot has happened since my last US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge post:  the governor of Missouri exhibited himself as a lying fool, KC voters overwhelmingly approved moving forward with a new airport, we had a healthy baby girl, the corporate tax rate was FINALLY reduced (which we end up paying for through higher costs for goods) from 35% to 21%, the Zona Rosa bond train wreck (first broke by Ivan Foley) continues to grow, etc so I figured it was time for a new one.

First off, regional leaders (I soooo want to make a comment about a regional leader that made this harder than it should have been) rallied together and decided to commit a total of $40M of federal surface transportation funds over the next four years towards the project.  MoDOT is to the point where they are willing to fund up to $100M towards a new bridge.  Keep in mind, just a year ago we had ZERO funding for a new bridge and now we've identified $140M.  Here is the news from the MARC Transportation Matters blog.

The last piece of the $200M financing package was put together with passage KCMO Ordinance 170919 which sets up an April 3, 2018 election which will ask KCMO voters to renew the City's current one cent capital improvements sales tax for 20 years.  This would provide up to $60M towards the Bridge.

I'm not sure what the numbers are and it's too late to call Rob Willard but the last time I looked at the numbers something like 80% of all Platte County sales taxes were generated in KCMO so the cost of the bridge will be borne by people from all over.  KCMO has the only Wal-Mart™, Target™, Costco™, etc with freeway access and a lot of folks come into town and shop.  We've also go the only Menards™.  This is also a renewal of a tax that has been in place since the 1980's and so there will be no change in what you pay in sales tax.

That may be a lot of local money for a bridge but there still is a chance that our federal elected officials might be able to help with additional federal funds.  Too bad Claire McCaskill and others don't believe in earmarks because this is a perfect earmark project.  If the federal government is going to continue to spend and spend and spend and bankrupt us, at least try to keep our money here by building stuff we can use rather than subsidizing subways in New York at $3.5 BILLION a mile.  Better idea, reduce the federal gas tax, raise state gas taxex, and eliminate the DC overhead.  Keep decisions and oversight/management local.

Now, if you want a new bridge, it's up to YOU to make it happen.

I created a Facebook event here that you can add to your calendar.  It will be a helpful reminder to vote since Park Hill won't be having a school board election this April because only two candidates filed for the two open seats.  I have to thank Matt Pepper for serving and congratulate Kyla Yamada for being the new holder of the "Yosemite Sam" seat.  I assume Platte County, NKC, and Liberty will have competitive school board races but those of us in Park Hill will need to remember to show up and vote. 

I uploaded the video from the KCMO Council committee discussing the renewal and details about financing options so you can make an informed choice when voting.

Again, if you want a new bridge, it's up to you.  Accept the Facebook event here and share with friends.  Also, reminder to check out the www.beyondtheloopkc.com website and take the survey on the concepts.

If you don't want to watch the video, you can download the podcast here. It's large size and I tried looking into some freeware for smaller podcasts but I decided life was too short and I had other things I'd rather do.  I quit while I was ahead unlike this guy.....

Clip credit to Fox from the Married With Children show.

You Need to Leave Feedback on US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge/Beyond the Loop Concepts

First off, if you missed my post the other day, read it first by clicking here.

Second, if you read it, there now is a link to feedback and survey on the concepts.  The goal of this survey is to gauge the public's temperature on the concepts before spending money and delving into the details.

One thing to note, in the 3D renderings, the view is from Broadway towards the east.  The left side of the renderings are the City Market and the right is Downtown.

More US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge/Beyond the Loop Concepts

Ladies and gentlemen, thank those of you that were able to attend the Beyond the Loop KC meeting tonight.  Those of you that weren't able to make it don't worry because all the materials and survey are online.

Before we get into the concept alternatives, let me tell you about the interactive traffic pattern map. 

It's a little challenging for those of you who might not geek out on GIS or map data but the goal of the data is so that the team can look for trends. Pull up the layer list and turn everything off.  There are two categories: origination and destination.  Origination is the point where traffic is starting and then shows where it ends up.  Destination is the point where traffic winds up and it shows where it starts. Everyone seems to be a traffic engineer so I'm sure that makes sense.............

I'm going to pull some maps showing trends which is what we are using to get an idea of how things are working.  If you want to play around with in on your own, here is a link to the site.  To start, pick one of the origination layers.  This will give you a map showing where cars that start on a route (say I-29 at NE quadrant or Bond Bridge SB) end up, do they wind up on I-70 going to STL or I-70 going to Topeka or use US 71 or head to the Plaza on 35.  If you want to see where cars that are going NB on Bond start from, you would turn off the origination layer and turn on destination.

I'm going to screenshot some patterns I've noticed that explain how the freeway loop really isn't working because it's not geometrically balanced.

Below is a graphic showing where in the morning traffic SB on US 169 bridge winds up.  What this graphic shows is that most of the traffic coming into downtown either stays on Broadway or goes south on I-35.  That's what the long orange arrow on 35 shows and the short orange arrow that goes over I-70.  Some folks wind up going on SB 71 and EB I-70 as shown by the blue arrows.

Now in the evening, I turned off the origination layer and turned on the destination to see where folks going north on 169 come from.  This map shows the reverse pattern holding with a lot of NB 35 and NB Broadway folks.  However, some folks use 670 then loop all the way around and use the north loop so that they can make a right turn at 5th Street.  I highlighted this by the purple lines.  Because 6th and Broadway doesn't work, folks are loading up on 670 and 70!!!  This lends me to postulate a theory that traffic on 670/70 would be reduced should there be a new bridge with direct connection from 169 to 35.

Folks going south on 29/35/Bond end up going to places as shown below.  A lot of people use the north loop to get to 35 because if one uses 670/south loop, one has to cross over two lanes of traffic to get back on 35.  Again, another geometric deficiency which if fixed would improve traffic flow (I'll show a map below how that would look).

Now in the evening, here is where people going NB on 29/35/Bond come from.  A lot of folks skip 6th and Broadway and stay on the north loop to the bridge.  What this map tells me that if we had a direct 35/169 connection with a new bridge, we would see less traffic on the north and south loop.  It might also help with the NB US 71 backup that starts at Children's Mercy Hospital.

It's 4PM and NB 71 is already a parking lot. How's that #NorthLoop working for you Platte & Clay County commuters? pic.twitter.com/mRncuaRzh0

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) February 27, 2017

What does 9/HOA traffic do?  In the morning, no big surprise as most traffic goes downtown and some gets on the north loop and winds up on 35 to avoid 6th and Broadway.

In the evening NB 9/HOA folks coming NB on 71 or WB on 70 load up both the north and south loops because they're avoiding 6th and Broadway as highlighted in the purple path.  People drive out of their way and longer distance to avoid the 169 lights!

There is a lot of traffic on I-70/Northloop but it all winds up at one lane ramps at the northeast corner and so capacity and traffic flow will always be hindered by that one slow ramp.  In the evening, the outside and inside lanes are parking lots while the middle lane is wide open and not really needed.

Going from Topeka to STL: 1 lane ramp eastbound on I-70 & 1 lane ramp on EB 670
Fed by 6 lanes on viaducts in West Bottoms. pic.twitter.com/iNNpUwiD5o

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) August 16, 2017

#NorthLoop working so well at 5PM pic.twitter.com/kPb9yOflWc

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) June 20, 2017

In the morning, the Northloop basically only operates as a one lane freeway because folks are wanting to get off the freeway to get downtown.

Hey look 6 lane freeway with only 1 lane being used because it turns into a choice between 2 one lane ramps that connect to another freeway pic.twitter.com/2uzPf6fYgG

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) July 18, 2017

In the evening NB 9/HOA folks coming NB on 71 or WB on 70 load up both the north and south loops because they're avoiding 6th and Broadway as highlighted in the purple path.  People drive out of their way and longer distance to avoid the 169 lights!

I've spent time just driving around the loop at rush hour and observing traffic cameras.  I think a lot of things can be cleaned up by fixing the geometrics.

The merges on the 670/Southloop create inefficiencies because if one is going from east KC to Kansas, they have to merge over to the south.  If one is going from Liberty to the Plaza, they have to merge over a lane to the north.  I created the image below showing where westbound traffic needs to be underneath Bartle Hall and which lane they come from.  If I started on WB I-70 at the Paseo, I have to merge over one or two lanes.  If I started on SB I-35 coming from the Bond Beridge and wanted to keep going south to the Plaza via I-35, I'd have to merge over two lanes.  If I was NB on US 71, I'd have to merge over one to keep going north.

Imagine a Southloop without these inefficient merges.  What would that look like?  Well I drew it up one day and then found out later it had already been studied (yet never implemented).  Basically the SEC of the loop, the I-70 and US 71 interchange needs to have the freeway lanes flipped for EB traffic as shown with the orange lines in the map below.  The blue lines show how SB I-35 would be and the yellow shows all the random ramps.  One going WB on I-70 would get in the south two lanes near the Paseo and stay in those lanes all the way down to the West Bottoms.  Folks going south on I-35 from Bond would stay in the same lane and wind up in the right lane to keep going south to the Plaza.

This is what the new lane configuration of the south loop would look like if this was done.  I'm not a traffic modeler but I am a geometric designer and this looks a lot more simpler than what it is today.

I could do the same for westbound Southloop but need to finish dishes and get to bed so I'll just tell you that the same fix would happen that way (I also am not proofreading this post because it took too much time).

I get into all of this traffic pattern explanation because some of the options being discussed will radically alter the (very inefficient) Northloop and I don't want you to freak out about it.  You'll just have to trust me that I wouldn't propose anything I think wouldn't work nor would be financially infeasible to build.

Let's get to the alternatives and how you can participate.

We are at step three of a seven step process.  Here are the steps:

Let me post each of the alternatives presented today and I may or may not add comments. The displays are set up showing a 2D top view and then an iometric 3D bird's eye view at the bottom.

Every federal transportation planning process has to have a "No Build" option which means exactly what it mean, build nothing.

Next option basically shuts off some ramps.

The next few options are the "compressed" or "skinny interstate" option.  Should the traffic models say that a freeway needs to remain, what would it look like if it was trenched vs having all of the geometrically deficient ramps.  Since we are looking into a crystal ball for the future, what if driverless cars reduce traffic delays because they operate more efficiently, could the skinny interstate be converted into something like a service or delivery street like Lower Wacker Drive in Chicago.  In all of these options since the freeway was excavated and depressed, it would be easy to build new buildings with underground parking garages because it wouldn't require massive excavation like what has to be done now.

The next option is the full removal option.  Now before you scoff in indignation, remember that in order for this to work, this needs to be viewed in light of the first past of this blog post about traffic patterns and inefficient weaves that exist in the freeway loop that could be fixed.  Keep in mind that parts of Southwest Trafficway handle over 50,000 cars per day as a local street and does it at an efficient speed of 30-35mph.  Both 5th and 6th Street have at least three lanes each that could be one way pairs or four lane arterials to filter traffic into downtown from a new 169 Bridge or a new interchange at US 24.

We also have some options for the US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge.  Now don't get wound up.  Any new bridge will include a minimum ten foot wide path for folks to get across who don't have a car.

The further the bridge swings to the west to better line up with I-35, the more engineering challenges (and cost) it faces because the bridge piers have to be placed between multiple active railroads with clearance requirements and it's not as easy I first thought it would be.

Lastly, if we have a new bridge and north/south traffic shifts over to it, traffic on 9/Burlington will decrease so an option being looked at is to bring Burlington back to street grade. 

You can download and read the April 2005 freeway loop master plan here.

Download April2005-KC-MoDOT-DowntownFreewayLoopPlan

You can also download a PDF of all the display boards that were shown tonight that I made into the above screenshots.

Download Low+Lift+PEL+Meeting+Boards+FINAL+for+web

You can also take the initial alternative survey and give feedback on what was presented tonight by clicking the link here.  These are all concepts looking to be screened because the project team wouldn't waste time and money running detailed traffic models on an option that doesn't have public support. 

Also, make sure to bookmark the project website and sign up for updates.  Follow me on Twitter for miscellaneous transportation updates and snarky engineering comments about my observations of how things are or are not working.  Just like you, I can play traffic engineer!  Just remember I live north and work downtown.

UPDATE!!!  There now is a link to feedback and survey on the concepts.

KCMO Testimony to the Missouri Highway Commission Wednesday

Ladies and gentlemen, did you realize the state of Missouri spends around a $1B a year and the oversight is done by an unelected commission?  Well if you didn't, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has an official page where you can learn more about what the six members of the commission do.  The commission meetings are videotaped but I can't see to find where to watch the meetings so I have uploaded videos of the testimony by KCMO Councilman Scott Wagner and City Manager Troy Schulte.  The video is a little shaky and you get a great view of the assistant chief engineer's head but it's the best I could do.

 

The draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program was approved on Wednesday to be sent out for public comment.  I plan on digging into it later but if you want to see where they are going to spend money for the next five years in the KC region, click here.

If you want a new US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge rather than a two year closure and no change in the way we move around the heart of the metro, I suggest you go to the comment page and express your desire.  I suggest you share with your network.  If you use the bridge in the morning, I know you have plenty of time sitting and waiting in traffic to do so.......

If you don't comment and let them know you want a new bridge, then look forward to two years of wasted time and gas not to mention impacts to the Charles Wheeler Downtown Airport and who knows how many children and organ transplants that might not get medical service in time because the bridge will be closed.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, follow the blog tag and watch/read the previous posts.

More US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge Updating

I trimmed out last week's Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting so you can watch the discussion led by Scott Wagner on where we stand on the Buck O'Neil discussion.  If you missed the first discussion, go back and see it here.  This discussion has some testimony from KCFD about the life safety impacts of a two year closure to do a band aid repair on the bridge.

I even created a new tag on the blog line on the right of the site to keep up to speed as this develops.  Click here to get to the ordinance including the powerpoint presentation.  Here's what a new bridge that could be built while the old one is still in service would generally be.

US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge Update Video

The cool thing about KCMO Channel 2?  Video can be downloaded and uploaded to other platforms so I took the time to download and trim last week's KCMO City Council update on issues going on about the US 169 Buck O'Neil Bridge project.  Fighting insomnia tonight?  Here is your cure......