Glenn Hendren Drive could get sidewalks and bike lanes under plan under consideration in Liberty

LIBERTY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.

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Glenn Hendren Drive in Liberty could look much different in the future after the city council approved a long-term reconstruction study aimed at making the road safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

The Liberty City Council approved the Glenn Hendren Corridor Reconstruction Study last week. The plan calls for multimodal improvements, including sidewalks, pedestrian trails, turn lanes and stormwater features along the corridor.

The road connects Lewis and Clark Elementary School, Liberty Hospital, churches and surrounding residential neighborhood, but does not have sidewalks.

"We have students walking these streets a lot of the time," Alexa Malone, who lives on Glenn Hendren Drive, told KSHB 41 Northland Reporter Fernanda Silva.

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Malone said the road feels dangerous for anyone walking or running nearby.

"It's pretty scary, I'm not gonna lie," Malone said.

She said adding infrastructure would make a meaningful difference.

"I definitely think if we had sidewalks, and maybe even a little bit of a curb next to the sidewalks, a lot of people would feel a lot safer walking through," Malone said.

Sherri McIntyre, Liberty's public works director, said the project is about transforming how the road functions within the city.

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"How do we make that a city street in a city environment? That's one of the goals of the project," McIntyre said.

Kara Albert, a business development leader at GBA, the design firm that developed the study, said speed is a key concern on the corridor.

"It's a safety issue, too," Albert said.

Fernanda Silva, KSHB 41

The city emphasized the council's approval is a plan, not a committed project. Funding has not yet been secured, and implementation will depend on identifying federal, state and local funding sources.

McIntyre said the city plans to begin design work in 2027, with realistic implementation roughly two years after that for the first segment. The first phase would focus on the area near Lewis and Clark Elementary School to improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity for neighborhoods north of the school.

"For the whole corridor, it'll probably take more than a decade to get the entire thing done," McIntyre said.

City of Liberty

The three-phase project is the result of years of planning. Glenn Hendren Drive was formerly an Interstate 35 frontage road and is now owned and maintained by the city.

In 2023, the Leading Liberty Forward Comprehensive Plan identified the road as recommended for improvement.

In 2025, the Liberty Transportation Master Plan identified it as a candidate for a complete street corridor project. In March of last year, the city approved development of a corridor reconstruction study, which council has now adopted as a plan.

Neighbors who spoke with me said they are hopeful the project moves forward.

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"I really do hope that we're able to get the funding," Malone said.

David McCoy, a Liberty resident who walks daily, said he avoids Glenn Hendren Drive entirely because of safety concerns.

"That would be absolutely wonderful," McCoy said of the proposed improvements.

Joe Alonso, who lives near Glenn Hendren Drive, said the before-and-after renderings presented at the council meeting were encouraging.

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"It would make it look a lot nicer, and it would show that we have developed areas and that it's not just a street with gravel and trees," Alonso said.

Glenn Hendren Drive is the only emergency vehicle access route to Liberty Hospital.

The study's conceptual estimate of the cost of the improvements is $11,687,846 in 2026 dollars.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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