KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City is running into some major roadblocks when it comes to making streets safer for bikers.
Cyclists told 41 Action News they're frustrated by the delays of two federally-funded projects that were supposed to add bike lanes to major roads.
The Downtown Loop project, which includes added bike lanes on Grand Boulevard, was initially advertised for bid last spring. A spokeswoman for the public works department said bids came in at double the budget. She attributed the high cost to Federal Highway Administration requirements.
At the same time, plans to add 1.5 miles of bike lanes to Armour Boulevard have not yet come to fruition.
Biking advocate Andrew Johnson rides a stretch of the busy road every day. His son goes to school just a mile down the street from their Hyde Park home.
"I can think of a half dozen ways to get quickly to a highway, but I have to rack my brain to figure out a safe route to get him to school," Johnson said.
Public works plans to move forward with both the Grand and Armour bike lane projects, but a timeline has not yet been established. On Wednesday, the department will ask the city's finance and governance committee for $600,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund to complete the Downtown Loop.
The ordinance does not list the Armour project as a recipient of the funds, and many advocates remain confused by what continues to hold plans back.
"The plan's there. We were even promised that it would happen this spring. So to find out after the fact the money's still not there doesn't make a lot of sense," Johnson said.
Johnson is encouraging his neighbors to contact council members and ask them to add the Armour Boulevard bike lanes to the below ordinance.
ORDINANCE NO. 170659
Appropriating $600,000.00 from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the Capital Improvement Fund to the Street Resurfacing account; and recognizing an accelerated effective date.
WHEREAS, the City has completed the design of Downtown Bike Loop facilities as part of Project No. 89020242; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to complete the installation of these Downtown Bike Loop improvements utilizing funds available in the Unappropriated Fund Balance; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. That the sum of $600,000.00 is appropriated from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the Capital Improvement Fund to the following account in the Capital Improvement Fund:
18-3090-897701-B-89008533 Street Resurfacing $600,000.00
Section 2. That this ordinance is recognized as having an accelerated effective date within the provisions of Section 503(a)(C) of the City Charter in that it appropriates money, and shall take effective in accordance with Section 503, City Charter.
