KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just six months after Kansas City, Missouri voters passed $800 million in general obligation (G.O.) bonds, we're getting a firsthand look at how your money is being spent.
City engineers showed 41 Action News the progress being made on the Paseo Bridge over Brush Creek Parkway, a project using $600,000 from G.O. bonds. Construction is expected to be completed in January 2018.
It's one of nearly two dozen projects slated for completion in year 1 of what's being called "GO KC."
"I think people are well aware of the backlog of infrastructure improvements we have in the city. I think that's one of the reasons why citizens said let's do something about it," Beth Breitenstein of KCMO Public Works said.
According to Breitenstein, citizens will soon see more signs of progress across the city. On Friday, the department will break ground on a project along 22nd/23rd Streets from Brooklyn Avenue to Chestnut Street. The city plans to add new sidewalks and improve roads in that area.
G.O. bond funding isn't limited to public works; it's also going to the dogs. The KC Pet Project told 41 Action News by the end of the year, they'll have a design for a new shelter in Swope Park. Construction, which will be funded by G.O. bonds, is expected to be complete by the end of 2018.
Below you'll find a full list courtesy the city of the projects slated for the first year of GO KC. We've also included timelines for the projects for which they've been provided.
- New animal shelter in Swope Park, $7 million (design to come in next month, construction to be completed by end of 2018)
- Spot sidewalk repairs from the Missouri River to 85th Street and citywide curb ramps, $7.5 million (sidewalk spot repairs to start in spring, ADA curb ramp work already underway)
- Kansas City Museum, $4 million (groundbreaking last week)
- Beacon Hill roads, $3.7 million (groundbreaking this winter)
- Paseo Gateway, $3.5 million
- 135th Street from Wornall Road to Missouri 150, $3 million (bidding this month, plan to break ground in January)
- Prospect MAX bus local match for federal match, $2.5 million
- Delbert Haff and Spirit of Freedom fountains, $1.5 million
- Design of North Oak Trafficway, from Northeast Indianola Drive to North Kansas City limits, $1.18 million
- Starlight Theatre ADA improvements, $1.1 million
- Broadway traffic synchronization, $900,000 (bidding project this month)
- Design of Wornall Road, 85th to 89th streets, $680,000
- 22nd/23rd Street, $1.2 million (groundbreaking on Friday)
- Paseo Bridge repairs over Brush Creek, $600,000
- Beardsley Road landslide, $75,000 (project will be bid in winter)
