Northeast News
February 10, 2016
Last week, the city’s Parks Department showcased five different options for the coming Paseo Gateway project, all of which eliminate the ramp from Cliff Drive and Missouri Avenue to southbound Paseo Boulevard.

While this pooch welcomes the new designs, it might be worth a second look given the traffic choke points that will be created by eliminating this key traffic overpass. Given the density of the Riverview housing project combined with the two parking lots at KCU and the popularity of this route with residents leaving the neighborhood, this dog sees some nightmarish traffic snarls when the elimination of this ramp takes place. Throw in the narrowness of Woodland Avenue between Missouri and Independence and the fact that it is, during peak traffic hours often blocked by delivery trucks and school buses, the situation goes from bad to worse. The cherry on top of this potential gridlock is the traffic signal at Woodland and Missouri that constantly malfunctions, often turning red for no apparent reason, thus bringing once flowing traffic to a complete standstill.

While this news writing canine appreciates all of the options advanced by the Parks Department and Shockey Consulting, the ramp and overpass that link Cliff Drive and Missouri Avenue to Southbound Paseo most definitely needs to be part of any plan moving forward.