Missouri Bicycle News

The Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce does not favor the construction of a bicycle or pedestrian path on the new Paseo Bridge.

The chamber issued that stance in a recently adopted resolution that lends support for making the new Paseo Bridge a "world class" or "signature" structure.

In the resolution, which the chamber released last week, chamber leaders said a bicycle or pedestrian path could be too costly to the bridge project.

The resolution stated that a bicycle or pedestrian path would be more appropriate along the nearby Heart of America Bridge as long as none of the $245 million budgeted for the new bridge is diverted for the path or any other similar project.

"It's not that we are against bicycle or pedestrian lanes," said Sheila Tracy, the chamber's executive director. "It's that the chamber is about priorities, and we want the bridge to be designed as a point of interest. We want it to be known as a Kansas City icon."

The chamber's actions comes after the Kansas City Council approved a resolution supporting the integration of multi-modal accommodations, including bicycle, pedestrian and public transit, into the design of the new bridge.

The Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects also has voiced strong support for the new bridge accommodating bicycles, pedestrians and high-occupation vehicles.

But the Missouri Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the Paseo Bridge project, has voiced concerns about having pedestrians and bicyclists on the same route with interstate traffic.

Related:

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