KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A who’s who of public officials have called a news conference Friday morning to discuss “a special announcement about the South Loop Link Project.”
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Sen. Roy Blunt (R - Missouri), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D - Missouri), City Manager Brian Platt and Downtown Council President and CEO Bill Dietrich are all expected to be in attendance at the announcement.
The South Loop is the term coined to represent a stretch of Interstate 670 that runs below grade and separates the south side of downtown Kansas City from the Crossroads Arts District.
Outside of several bridges connecting the two areas, residents in the area have long sought a better way to connect the two areas.
In 2018, KSHB 41 reporter Andres Gutierrez spoke with a board member of the Crossroads Community Association who advocated for a deck, or “cap” over I-670 to create at-grade space for community amenities. It was a concept first floated in 2009.
The concept appears to have gained traction in recent months.
Following a late 2021 visit to Washington D.C. by Mayor Lucas, Flatland KC reporter Kevin Collison described Lucas as “bullish” on being able to advance the project.
Price tags for the project have varied, ranging from the original price of $175 million in 2009 to a potentially scaled down $139 million in 2018.
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