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Find an alternate route; Southbound lanes of the Buck O'Neil Bridge are closing

Posted at 7:28 AM, May 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-18 19:27:10-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Northland commuters will want to find alternate routes to get downtown.

Beginning in the early morning hours of Saturday, southbound lanes on the Buck O’Neil Bridge will be closing, and will remain closed through Dec. 1.

Crews are scheduled to complete a three-phase rehabilitation project on the gateway also known as the Broadway Bridge, MoDOT said.

The southbound lanes closure is the first phase. Then, in the second phase expected to begin in August, crews plan to switch northbound traffic to the southbound lanes so they can work on the northbound side. In the last phase, MoDOT said it will return all lanes to normal traffic patterns.

There are a few alternate routes and detours drivers need to be aware of in the meantime.

  • If you’re traveling south on Route 169, try going southbound on I-35 across the Bond Bridge.
  • If you’re driving south on Route 69 south of I-29, you’ll be redirected southbound on Route 9 across the Heart of America Bridge.
  • One lane of 169 south of Route 9 will stay open to give drivers access to the downtown airport. All of this traffic will be forced to exit at Richards Road.
  • All northbound traffic will stay open throughout the project.

The Buck O’Neil Bridge is more than 60 years old. On average, about 40,000 drivers use the bridge each work day.