Defining the Path for a Reconnected Westside: We will review both the initial and refined alternatives under consideration and highlight how your recommendations and input over the past several months have shaped their design. Thank you for your continued commitment—we hope you’ll join this final session to help define the path forward for Reconnecting the Westside.
Join us for a family-friendly event to review Initial Alternatives at Community Summit #3 on December 13.
Presentation Boards
Community Summit #3 Engagement
Share Your Ideas and Feedback!
Purpose and Need
Purpose and Need
Purpose, Need, and Community Goals
Your input helped guide the project's Purpose and Need. Purpose and Need Document coming soon!
Purpose Statement
The purpose of the Reconnecting the Westside project is to develop solutions to improve transportation safety and transportation choice issues in the Study Area while addressing the aging infrastructure condition of the I-35 viaduct.
Southwest Trafficway, I-35, and I-670 on the Westside of Kansas City are access barriers to and from the Westside Neighborhood and have contributed to safety, health and economic development challenges. The Reconnecting the Westside project intends to address transportation-related needs while also recognizing and considering these issues.
Needs
- Improve Road Safety within the Study Area
- Promote Multimodal Access and Connectivity
- Maintain a State of Good Repair for Infrastructure Assets
Community Goals
- Mitigate the impact of noise and air pollution.
- Improve connections to and identify opportunities for new or enhanced parks, recreation, cultural, and open space resources.
- Develop transportation solutions that are sensitive to displacements and promote affordable housing options.
- Provide opportunities for economic development.
- Implement feasible and cost-effective solutions.
Screening Process and Criteria
Travel Time Changes
Illustrative Travel Time Changes
Level 1 Screening Criteria
How do the Alternatives Impact Regional Travel?
Traffic modeling helps us understand how drivers shift their travel paths in response to each alternative. The resulting changes in the amount and speed of traffic are being carefully considered as a part of this study. Some alternatives cause diversion in traffic. However, due to the amount of additional capacity in the Kansas City region’s highways, this doesn’t always result in longer travel times. Illustrative travel time shifts are shown in the maps and tables.
Travel Times at 5:00p.m.
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Remain (Ramps)
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Remove (Boulevard)
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Realign
Preliminary Evaluation of Refined Alternatives
Next Steps
Next Steps for Reconnecting the Westside
The Reconnecting the Westside PEL Study will conclude in Spring 2026. Key milestones remain between this public meeting and the study’s completion.
Key Milestones Remaining:
- Initial Draft PEL Document: December 31, 2025
- PEL Revisions and Final PEL: Q1 2026
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Transition Memo
Funding for other phases of the Reconnecting the Westside project has not been identified, but opportunities exist to secure funds for NEPA, design, and implementation.
Future next steps include:
- Add Reconnecting the Westside to Missouri’s Unfunded Needs Priorities
- Integrate into the Mid-America Regional Council’s Long-Range Transportation Plan and future Transportation Improvement Program
- Prioritize within MoDOT’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
- Advance financial feasibility analysis, including innovative financing and value capture strategies
- Pursue competitive discretionary federal grants, such as MEGA and BUILD
- Leverage MoDOT formula-based federal funds, including NHPP and STBG
The Preferred Alternative will be identified and developed during the NEPA process.
NEPA Process will include:
- Review reasonable strategies and NEPA Coordination Plan from the PEL Study
- Segment near-term and long-term priorities based on compatibility, implementation timeline, and NEPA Class of Action determination
- Analyze reasonable strategies and detailed decisions
- Conduct preliminary engineering
- Select Preferred Alternative
- Secure Finding of No Significant Impact or Record of Decision
- Maintain continued community engagement and agency coordination throughout
The PEL Study considered strategies like infill development, parks, and open spaces. Future decisions depend on the selected alternative, and once finalized, further community engagement and departmental coordination will follow.
Coordination may include:
- Design and program parks and public spaces integrated with transportation projects
- Develop land use and urban design master planning
- Implement affordable housing and displacement mitigation strategies
- Review and update zoning standards
- Provide ongoing community outreach and education
- Coordinate with City Planning, Parks Department, and other governmental agencies
Comment Form
Comment Form
Share Your Feedback Here!
Provide your comments or questions in this online comment form.
Get Involved
We want to hear from you! We need your input to ensure the project reflects the needs of impacted neighborhoods and corridor users.
