Kansas City River Crossing public meeting Oct 10, 2006

The Missouri Bicycle Federation, in cooperation with many other bicycling, walking, running, and community organizations, has been working to get the first safe, accessible bicycle and pedestrian crossing of the Missouri River established in the Kansas City area.

Last Spring a new regional policy for bicycle and pedestrian accessibility on river crossings was established.

Now the first fruits of that policy are coming out--MoDOT is doing a study on possible bike/ped river crossings that can be built in association with the planned new Paseo Bridge.

So if you live in the Kansas City area, please strongly consider attending this meeting and giving your ideas and opinions about what will really work for you--and what will not.

Because MoDOT did not do this study as part of the regular Environmental Impact Statement for the Paseo Bridge, there is now a rush to get this study done quickly so that the Paseo Project can move forward.

But we want to make sure it is done right. And that means that we need input from you--the people who will be using the river crossing.

Many heads will come to a better solution than just a few--so please come out, view the ideas that have been put on the table, and give us your ideas, input, and reaction.

MoDOT's press release is below:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Findings and recommendations from a Bicycle/Pedestrian Missouri River Crossing Feasibility Study will be displayed during a Tuesday, October 10 open-house public meeting scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mid-America Regional Council’s offices, located at 600 Broadway in downtown Kansas City. No formal presentation is planned, so participants may attend at their convenience during those hours to view displays, visit with study team members, and provide their input to the study process.
A team that includes representatives from the Missouri Bicycle Federation, the Federal Highway Administration, municipal government and community representatives is working with MoDOT to identify a bicycle/pedestrian river crossing location that MoDOT will commit to funding by 2012. The study’s findings and recommended location will be added to the Environmental Impact Statement that will be completed before design and construction of a Missouri River bridge along the I-29/I-35 corridor.

“In addition to meetings and regular communication with our core team, we took the group on a September 18 tour of possible crossing locations,” said Lee Ann Kell, Transportation Planning Manager for MoDOT’s Kansas City District. “Our October 10 public meeting will report what the team learned on that trip, and explain why the team eliminated some options and selected others for additional analysis. Public reaction and comments to these findings will be incorporated into our study team’s final report, which will identify a recommended location for a bicycle/pedestrian crossing.”