KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of the last major milestones in the completion of the $250 million Buck O’Neil Bridge carrying U.S. Highway 169 traffic is complete.
Missouri Department of Transportation crews opened the southbound lanes of the new bridge for the first time Tuesday afternoon.
Motorists have been using detours to get south of the river since Feb. 6, 2023.
In addition to carrying vehicles from the Northland south into downtown, southbound infrastructure also includes a flyover ramp that connects to southbound Interstate 35. The old bridge did not have a connection.
LINK | Read more about the Buck O'Neil Bridge project
The northbound lanes of the bridge were previously opened.
The old bridge was built in 1956. Before construction started on the new bridge in July 2021, MoDOT estimated that 50,000 motorists used the bridge every day.
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