Kansas
After 3 years, Kansas City welcomes the first drivers over the new Buck O’Neil bridge
Starting Monday, drivers heading over the Missouri River will take a different Buck O’Neil Bridge for the first time since 1956.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has been designing and constructing the replacement bridge for three years. Southbound traffic has been closed at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport for the past year.
Now, northbound traffic will be moved off the old bridge and to the new one.
MoDOT will switch over traffic on January 29. The weather got in the way in weeks prior when bitter cold and precipitation prevented workers from painting the striping on the new bridge.
“In order for us to make this switch, we actually have to put our paint on the ground,” said James Pflum, MoDOT’s project director for the bridge. “We need that paint to stick. That’s what we’ve been battling over these past couple of weeks — cold temperatures or wet weather.”
Northbound drivers on U.S. 169 will now make a slight left at Fifth Street and Broadway to cross the new bridge. Drivers on northbound I-35 should continue to exit at Broadway to go north on U.S. 169.
Despite the slight weather delays, Pflum is confident the project will remain on time and on budget. The new bridge should be completed by the end of the year.
“It’s a kind of an exciting time where we’re meeting our schedules and on budget,” Pflum said. “A lot of work has come to this moment. We’re really happy to be here.”
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR 89.3
The overall budget for the bridge project is almost $258 million. The nearly $220 million design-build contract — awarded to a joint venture of Massman Construction Company, Clarkson Construction Company, and HNTB Corporation — came from MoDOT, Kansas City and a BUILD federal grant.
Both new bridges are already standing, and after Monday’s switch, drivers won’t need to worry about more detours or road changes for about nine months.
During that time, crews will be completing the final construction of the project, like tying the bridges at both ends and connecting it to I-35.
But to do that, the north portion of the existing bridge must be demolished. The new southbound bridge will be used for northbound traffic until that’s done.
Pflum says MoDOT has been working with Kansas City to save what they can of the old Buck O’Neil bridge. However, due to the size of the structure and the permitting required, not everything will make it.
“We are talking to KCMO about what we can do to maybe salvage part of it to be used in other locations around the city,” Pflum said.
Currently, there are no plans for what exactly will happen with the old bridge, but the city issued a request for proposals in late December of 2023 for a firm that would manage a bridge reuse program. The initiative would use steel from the demolished three-arch bridge and coordinate the installation of the eventual project.
Kansas City previously expressed interest in converting the old bridge into a linear park, but a feasibility study found that the project would cost double its initial estimate.
The project is expected to be completed in December of this year. MoDOT encourages drivers to look at its social media and project website for “planning ahead and paying attention.”
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WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Agriculture held a meeting on Thursday to discuss proposed rules regarding the Kansas Water Appropriation Act.
The Division of Water Resources is proposing new regulations and changes to current regulations under the law.
The division is looking at amending or revoking regulations related to flowmeters tracking water usage.
It is also proposing changes to groundwater usage rules on how far you can move a well from its original location to prevent harming the water rights of other landowners.
Another regulation would create voluntary Water Conservation Areas, where landowners work with the division to establish water conservation plans on their properties.
Some of the concerns raised at Thursday’s meeting dealt with property rights and the transfer of land to new owners. Some expressed concern about the sale of water rights to other landowners in the area.
There is no listed timeline for when the changes could be made.
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WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A rural Kansas fire department says it saw yet another increase in calls in 2025.
On Tuesday, Butler County Fire District #3 posted data about last year on social media.
It responded to 782 alarms in 2025, which is a new record.
The majority of the calls were for rescue and emergency medical services, followed by service calls.
The department’s data show the number of calls has been trending upward over the last 20 years.
From 2006 to 2010, the department handled an an average of 550 calls a year. From 2021 through 2025, that average was 720, a 31% increase.
Officials said continued growth in the community has increased the demand for emergency services.
“These numbers reinforce the importance of ongoing training, staffing, equipment planning, and community support to ensure we can continue to provide timely and effective service,” the department said on Facebook.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Clay County Commissioner Jason Withington said Wednesday that he still loves baseball, but is “done” negotiating with the Royals on a new stadium for the team in the county.
According to Withington, Thursday, Jan. 8, was the deadline for the Royals to appear on the April 2026 ballot in the county.
Withington said the Royals told the county that they were not ready to meet that deadline.
Withington took to Facebook to explain that “the joy has been drained” out of him over the last few years and expressed his dislike towards the business of baseball.
He called negotiations with the team “a closed chapter” and said that the county is shifting its focus elsewhere.
“It’s time for the Commission to focus fully on priorities we control—either upgrading our existing county jail or building a new one,” Withington wrote.
The Royals’ lease at Kauffman Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex in Jackson County expires in January 2031.
KSHB 41’s political reporter Charlie Keegan reported in May 2025 on efforts by Missouri to keep both the Royals and Chiefs in Missouri.
While the Chiefs announced that they will move to a new stadium site in 2031 in Wyandotte County, the Royals have not announced their next steps to get a new ballpark built.
A stadium site near 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park has emerged as a possibility for a stadium site for the ball club.
Some residents in that area are not happy about that possibility.
KSHB 41 News reached out to the Royals for comment, but has not heard back.
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