Kansas City bike/ped river crossing on the fast track now

According to a KCStar article:

Sometime next year, bicyclists and pedestrians should be able to cross the Missouri River on a path of their own built into the Heart of America Bridge.

Because federal stimulus funding would be used for the path, the project was pushed up two years. . . .

Under the plan, a path protected with barriers would be built in what is now the shoulder of the northbound lane on the bridge. The path would be about 10 feet wide, allowing for two-way travel.

The path follows the ramp from East Third Street in Kansas City across the bridge to East 10th Avenue in North Kansas City.

The bridge will continue to have shared-use lanes for bicycles and vehicles.

You can view project plans and submit your comments on MoDOT's official web site for the project.

Over 5000 area residents, supported and encouraged by a large array of area bicycle and pedestrian organizations, including the Missouri Bicycle Federation, have called, emailed, or written area agencies in support of creating safe bicycle and pedestrian crossings of the Missouri River in the Kansas City area, and the Heart of America project is the first result of that citizen action.