The plan to widen Red Bridge Road between Interstate 71 and State Line Road is actually a series of projects in various stages of planning:
- State Line Road to Red Bridge Shopping Center
- Holmes Road to Blue River Road
- Blue River Road to Grandview Road
The middle section (Holmes to Blue River) is scheduled to begin construction in the near future. The other sections are scheduled for completion by 2010 (Blue River to Grandview), and 2020 (State Line to the shopping center).
The middle section carries great strategic importance for the other two sections: Build it according to the current plan and the pressure to remake the other sections to match will certainly increase. Plans to widen Blue River Road, Martha Truman Road and others in south Kansas City will also gain momentum.
As one of many questionable road projects planned for the Red Bridge area, we can see that this road and bridge project is just one part of a bigger story -- one that will change the face of south Kansas City as the rising tide of globalization is brought literally to your front door.
Setting aside those larger issues for the time being, let us first examine the center section, particularly the design and impact of the proposed bridge. NEXT>>