South Loop Link project to cap I-670, cover 5.5 acres to connect Crossroads to Central Business District

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Missouri lawmakers announced the South Loop Link Project in Kansas City.

The $160 million dollar project will transform downtown by connecting the Central Business District with the Crossroads Art District by creating a cap over I-670.

Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D - MO), Sen. Roy Blunt (R - MO), and City Manager Brian Platt, gathered on Friday to announce the South Loop Link Project which will cover 5.5 acres over I-670 from Wyandotte St. to Grand Blvd.

“You got to have infrastructure where the rivers and the railroads and the highways and the roads and bridges of our state all work in the most effective way to make us as competitive as we can possibly be,” said Sen. Blunt.

Private contributors are paying for the engineering and design phase of the project which will take 12-18 months before the groundbreaking. State and federal funding is also helping pay for the project. Platte said he plans on using the design as a framework to replicate it in other places in downtown.

“We’ve got a lot of highways in this city and this is not the only place where we’re thinking about how we can improve quality of life for residents,” explained Platte.

The cap will connect neighborhoods previously separated by the interstate. The goal is to make the area a centerpiece in the community for jobs, culture, art, and green park space.

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