Trail connecting HNE to River Market on right path

By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
July 29, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — After a few minor changes, the trail is almost ready for feet and tires.

Residents who stopped at the Parks and Recreationmeeting last Thursday on the Cliff Drive and Spirit of Kansas City Scenic Byway Trail learned that the city is ready to present its proposal to the Missouri Department of Transportation [MoDOT] for approval by the end of August. Thursday’s public meeting was to give residents and area stakeholders one last update before the submission. At the meeting, representatives from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the design consultant firm answered questions about the location and design of bicycle and pedestrian trail that connects the Riverfront Heritage Trail, the Spirit of Kansas City Scenic Byway and the Cliff Drive Scenic Byway.

John Zimmerman, senior transportation engineer for the design consultant firm TranSystems Corp., said last year’s concept didn’t mesh well with the city’s streetcar plans along Independence Avenue and the Northeast neighborhoods, so the designers went back to the original concept, which took the trail from the top of Cliff Drive at The Paseo to near Second and Dora Streets. The new concept moves the starting point east, at Missouri Avenue and The Paseo, then parallel The Paseo with a switchback down the hill to Dora Street. Cyclists would be on the street on Lydia and Fifth Street and pedestrians would be on the sidewalk.

“The goal of the path is to connect the Spirit of Kansas City Scenic Byway to some of the other amenities in Kansas City, including Cliff Drive, Kessler Park and the Bike KC plan,” Zimmerman said.

To meet requirements of the Americans Disabilities Act [ADA], the stretch of trail east of I-35 will be a shared use trail, with two sets of switchbacks with compact ramp systems. One benefit to going back and using the original concept, Zimmerman said, is it’ll save the city money. The city is still looking to use around $800,000 in PIAC (Public Improvements Advisory Committee) funds. The total of the project is projected to be around $1.4 million. The two-mile long trail is funded through the Parks and Recreation Department with federal funding administered through MoDOT’s Scenic Byway Grant.

The next step is to then get the shovel-ready plans approved by MoDOT and as soon as the city receives funding, it’ll be taken out for bids. Scott Overbay, project manager for the Parks and Recreation Department, said he doesn’t anticipate any other changes to the current plan. Depending on when the city receives funding, the bidding process should occur through this fall and winter. Overbay is hopeful for construction to begin next spring.

“There’s still time available so that if there’s a major change, we can adjust to it,” Zimmerman said. “But since we’ve gone out to the public before, it wasn’t an aesthetic issue that was a concern, it was more the on-street system. Now that we’ve tweaked that, we don’t expect any more changes”