KC hopes park construction closing I-670 spurs more funding
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Phase one, looking west toward the convention center. Image: Courtesy of HNTB/OJB Landscape Architecture via the city of Kansas City
Construction will begin this winter to build one block of Roy Blunt Luminary Park over I-670, from Wyandotte to Baltimore.
Why it matters: The project will close a portion of the interstate for almost two years in order to build a fraction of the full concept, a step leaders hope will help fund the rest of it.
The big picture: Both ways between I-35 and I-70, plus east and west Truman roads between Broadway and Baltimore, will close from this December through September 2028.
- Wyandotte and Baltimore bridges over the interstate will have intermittent closures.
Context: The I-670 closure will begin one month before the expected I-70 closure east of downtown, which will last 11 months.
Zoom in: In addition to the park, phase one will also build out about half of the tunnel infrastructure, including two blocks of needed improvements under the Kansas City Convention Center.
- Part of that includes fire and life safety systems that will support the entire highway tunnel that, if completed, will run six blocks from under the convention center to Grand Boulevard.
Follow the money: This first phase will cost roughly $164 million, which in 2017 was within the projected range for the entire project. The full park is now projected to run $315 million.
- Current funding, which covers phase one, comes from a mix of federal, state, local and private sources.
- City Council in September authorized $51 million in bonds, which will be repaid over 15 years through the city's convention and tourism tax.
What they're saying: Building the tunnel support system will "really kickstart funding coming in, both from private donors, but also through other grants," Assistant City Manager Jeff Martin tells Axios.
Reality check: The city has been denied four federal grants worth a combined $185 million, three of them during the Biden administration.
Mayoral spokesperson Jayden Sudduth tells Axios "the central part of future fundraising is greater private involvement" from companies that stand to benefit from the park, "such as Cordish," which owns and operates much of Power and Light.
The bottom line: One block of parkland is certain. The rest, less so.