November 28, 2007
Future Red Bridge Plan Looks Like the Past
Latest designs for Red Bridge Road identical in
nearly all respects to previous plan
After the expense of a quarter-million dollars, a City-hired engineering firm has almost perfectly duplicated the City's previous design proposal for Red Bridge Road. Both plans are for mostly a three-lane road leading to a bridge of over 1,100 feet in length over the Blue River valley. A comparison of the two bridge proposals can be seen at http://www.redbridgeroad.org/project/BWR/HDR_BWR_comp.html There are differences between the two bridges: the latest one features the cosmetic addition of steel beams to mimic the truss of the existing bridge. However, this and other minor differences appear not to comply with federal and railroad guidelines. Friends of Red Bridge -- a community group in south Kansas City opposed to the City plan -- recently hired renowned traffic engineer Michael Wallwork to analyze the Red Bridge situation and suggest alternative designs. In his analysis, Mr. Wallwork points out that a bridge such as the one being proposed cannot be justified if it is not followed by an eventual widening of the entire road to four or even six lanes, with a tremendous negative impact on safety, livability, and the environment. The Friends of Red Bridge study of the road is being funded by contributions from supporters and will result in a set of alternative design options for the purpose of saving the park, saving the neighborhoods, and saving lives. A presentation of the FoRB proposal is scheduled for around year's end.
