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KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas announces resolution to improve construction on city streets

39th Street construction
Posted at 4:11 PM, Oct 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-22 17:11:13-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas says he wants to make sure the city isn't wasting resources by working on construction projects on streets only to have them ruined by pre-scheduled utility work.

On Thursday, Lucas, along with Councilwoman Andrea Bough and Councilman Eric Bunch, released a resolution to improve communication between the city and utility companies.

“Too often, the City spends time, resources and manpower on resurfacing a street in our city, only to have that same street torn up days later for pre-scheduled utility work,” Lucas said in a news release announcing the proposal. “It’s frustrating. It’s wasteful. It’s expensive. Today’s action will create a path to ensuring our Departments can better communicate with each other and with utility companies throughout our city to avoid future costly and embarrassing scenarios, such as on 39th Street just this week."

The resolution would require the city manager to create a set of recommendations that would enhance communication between city departments and utility companies to limit the number of necessary excavations.

Over the weekend, Lucas tweeted his frustration with the current lack of communication between the city and utility companies. He said the issue had resulted in a weeks-old road resurfacing project now being ripped up, much to the dismay of business owners along the street.

The resolution next will be considered by the council's Transportation, Infrastructure, and Operations Committee.