The Story of Interstate-35 Construction

Early Plans and Community Concerns

• 1945: 
  • Discussions begin with interest in connecting a suburbanizing Kansas City to downtown and the northland to Midtown, Plaza, and South KC.
• 1950s: 
  • Proposed design plans for Southwest Trafficway raise community concerns Great
  • Flood of 1950 devastated the Westside/local railroad industry
  • Construction moves forward, Westside cited as a blighted and less involved other neighborhoods

I-35 Connects Kansas, Downtown, Southwest Trafficway, access North

• 1960s:
  • US Interstate-35 construction begins
  • Demolition of 100s of homes; 1,000s of people displaced in the name of efficiency and economic prosperity
  • The 60s-70s mark a period of advocacy, activism, and political development for Mexican-Americans in the Westside

Decades of Displacement

• 1970s – 1980s:
  • A fragmented Westside continues losing 100s of Mexican-American families
  • West High and Middle School abandon the Switzer campus, further eroding the fabric of the community

Construction Continues

• 1990: 
  • US Interstate-670 construction is completed in 1990, the final division between the Westside neighborhood and the City grid
• 2000s: 
  • During the last 25 years, Westside has amassed interest and reinvestment
  • Generational residents continue to be impacted by history of urban isolation

A Line in the Sand of History

• 2020s:
  • City focuses on transportation improvements in the Westside, including South Pennway, Southwest Boulevard, Beardsley Road, and I-35.
  • In 2024, the City selects the WSP-led consultant team to lead Reconnecting the Westside

The Path Forward

• 2025 – 2026: 
  • Producing a set of alternatives based on the findings of the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study
• 2026 – 2028: 
  • Advancing to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review process and developing conceptual design solutions
• Beyond 2028: 
  • Final design and implementation of improvements and initiatives