KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Officials with the city of Kansas City, Missouri, along with Port KC and the Downtown Council announced Friday a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a park being built downtown over Interstate 670 has been released.
In this next phase of the project, the RFQ will assess the environmental impact and design options of the park.
Called the South Loop Link project, the park would span four blocks over I-670 to connect the Central Business District to the Crossroads Arts District.
Park features will include a playground, public art, shade structures and outdoor seating across the open green lawn.
The project is estimated to cost nearly $165 million.
The South Loop Link RFQ says the project will provide environmental sustainability by improving air quality, increasing non-motorized methods of transportation, maintaining existing infrastructure, suppressing noise levels and lowering the carbon footprint.
“The initial components of the environment will overlap with needed preliminary design in a dynamic way. The process allows for much faster coordination on design needs by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and could reduce total time to completion by months," said Jon Stephens, Port KC president and CEO.
Officially issued Thursday, Sept. 1, the RFQ is open for 30 days.
While the project timeline remains flexible, leaders are optimistic an “aggressive 2026 opening date” is attainable.
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