KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Crews have started painting the streets for the Downtown Bike Loop project in the River Market at 5th Street and Grand Avenue.
City leaders said they will have to make some repairs to road surfaces as well as re-stripe many of the roads involved.
"The plan for the Downtown Bike Loop, the main portion of that goes from about 20th through the City Market, through the River Market on Grand. Then from there, it connects out to other neighborhoods via West Pennway," explained Public Works spokesperson Beth Breitenstein.
People involved in the project said it has been delayed since 2011 because the city wanted to use federal funds.
Last month the city decided to use $600,000 to add bike lanes and get the project off the ground. The money is coming from the unappropriated capital improvement sales tax funds.
People in favor said it will lead to a healthier KC.
"Providing access for bicycles helps with a lot of things. Obviously, active living is a really important part of the community. You want to make sure that people are being active and staying healthy. But also, it’s an air quality thing. I mean, you think about the most sustainable way to travel, bicycles is right up there," said Breitenstein.
Work is expected to continue for several months, but crews will try to work during the overnight hours so traffic is not impacted.
