Update 5/30/2017:
MoDOT has replaced the U.S. 69 Bridges over the Missouri River between Platte County, Mo. and Wyandotte County, Ks. The new US 69 Missouri Bridge is now open!
Update 2/7/2017:
The bike/ped portion of the new US 69 Missouri River Bridge should be completed by the end of February. This project is slowly coming to an end. Updates on the ribbon cutting ceremony for the bridge will be coming soon. Stay tuned! Final work on the bike/ped path will continue through winter months with an opening date in Spring 2017.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to email, call, or attend a public meeting, your voices were heard!
About
What: New bridge to replace the Fairfax and Platte Purchas Bridges (US Hwy 69) over the Missouri River.
Where: Between Riverside, MO in Platte County and the Fairfix industrial distirct in Kansas City, KS/Wyandotte County.
How: A four lane bridge with a shared-use path for walking and bicycling.
Who: The Missouri and Kansas Departments of Transportation are splitting the cost, with MoDOT acting as the lead agency.
When: Construction starts fall 2014, and the new bridge opens October, 2016.
The two bridges carrying US 69 over the Missouri River between Riverside and KCK are at the end of the useful lives. The Fairfax Bridge has traditionally been a route for cyclists to cross the Missouri River between Platte and Wyandotte Counties, at least until the City of Riverside removed safe access in early 2009. There is currently no safe way for pedestrians to cross the river between the two counties.
The new bridge will connec with the existing trail on the north side of the river. KCK officials are working to open access to the south riverfront for a trail on the Kansas side of the river.
Advocacy Win!
We are declaring this a tentative advocacy win, pending the final design. The ease of including a bike/ped path on this bridge is outcome of the past decade of advocacy in the Kansas City region, culminating in the Paseo Bridge struggle and the ultimate retrofitting of bike/ped facilities on the Chouteau and Heart of America Bridges.
More Information
BikeWalkKC continues to monitor this project to ensure that the bike/ped path is designed and built to be high quality facilitiy that improves safety and connectivity.
Project History
November 2013
The Federal Highway Administration has given final approval to the bridge plan. MoDOT is preparing to put the project out to bid in January-February of 2014, and select the design-bulid contractor by July 2014. The new bridge is scheduled to open October 1s, 2016.
September 2013
Final public meetings for input on the selected alternative.
August 2013
The Environmental Assessment completed. Selective alternative is a new four lane bridge with a shared-use path for walking and bicycling.
November 2012
First public meetings for the Environmental Assessment process.
2012-2013
Environmental Assessment process will evaluate several alternatives for both bridges. MoDOT’s has include bicycle and pedestrian access in the scope of this process.