What a Missouri River crossing near downtown Kansas City might look like

[UPDATE: 19 April 2006] Through May 22nd, 2006, MoDOT is taking comments on a draft environmental impact study (EIS) of a proposed upgrade to the Paseo Bridge near downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

In less than one minute, you can provide input encouraging MoDOT to include bike/ped accommodations on the new Paseo Bridge here.

As this page documents, no existing bridge near downtown Kansas City, Missouri, provides a safe crossing point for "average" bicyclists, pedestrians, trail users, or the disabled.

However, despite the current lack of accommodation, MoDOT is not at this time planning to consider bicycle/pedestrian access across the river in conjuction with the Paseo Bridge upgrade.

Bicycle and pedestrian advocates, including MoBikeFed and the Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation, are asking MoDOT to make a bike/ped crossing of the Missouri River part of the bridge upgrade.

The Paseo Bridge is an interstate freeway and advocacy groups are not asking for on-road accommodation of bicyclists and pedestrians. However, the Paseo Bridge project provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide a really bicycle and pedestrian friendly Missouri River crossing near downtown Kansas City.

A number of possible options for bike/ped crossing are available. All should be carefully evaluated as part of the Paseo Bridge project.

The options suggested by bicyclists and advocates for creating a bike/ped crossing of the Missouri River near downtown Kansas City include:

• A separated bicycle/pedestrian path built as part of the new Paseo Bridge (such a path would be similar to the Page Avenue Bridge bike/ped path in St. Louis, pictured above left, and similar to the proposed Jefferson City Bridge bike/ped path, pictured below right).
  

  Proposed Jefferson City Bridge Bike-Ped Path
  
  
• A completely separate, self standing bicycle/pedestrian bridge, similar to the one planned in Omaha/Council Bluffs (see illustration above). Such a bridge could become a landmark--a signature attraction for Kansas City.
  
• An extra, separated path added to the current Heart of America Bridge.
  
• A lane cantilevered from the ASB railroad bridge (pictured below; illustration courtesy of Randy Niere). The ASB bridge path option would interface easily with the Riverfront Heritage Trail (currently under construction) which will pass underneath the ASB bridge.

Any of these options could be funded in conjuction with the Paseo Bridge upgrade, which is planned for 10-15 years in the future.

But no other bridge upgrades are currently planned near downtown Kansas City in the near term. So the Paseo Bridge upgrade presents the only opportunity for a bicycle/pedestrian crossing of the Missouri River near downtown Kansas City in the foreseeable future.

Recently constructed or re-constructed bridges in Missouri that include bicycle and/or pedestrian accommodations are listed below.

St. Louis area:

• the Page Avenue Extension (Hwy 364)
  
• Chain of Rocks Bridge
  
• Eads Bridge
  
• McKinley Bridge
  
• Lewis and Clark Bridge
  
• Highway 360 Bridge.

Around Missouri:

• the Hwy 13 Bridge near Lexington
  
• the US40 Bridge at Boonville
  
• the new $100 million Emerson Bridge in Cape Girardeau
  
• the I-72 Bridge at Hannibal
  
• the soon-to-be completed Route 19 Missouri River Bridge near Hermann