Collapsed retaining wall near Truman home leaves Independence sidewalk blocked for 14 months

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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Former President Harry S. Truman famously loved to walk the streets of his hometown, Independence, but just a block from the house he shared with his wife, Bess, the sidewalk has been impassable for 14 months.

"He wouldn't like it at all," Independence resident Brian Kearney said.

A portion of the retaining wall along Truman Road near Union Street collapsed in June 2025, forcing pedestrians to step into busy Truman Road for a half-block.

However, because Truman Road also serves as Missouri 12, a state highway, the Missouri Department of Transportation — not the city — has jurisdiction over the repair.

Kearney contacted KSHB 41 to look into the issue. He said he has exchanged emails with the city and MoDOT for months without resolution.

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“We contacted the city first to see if they could do anything for it, and they referred us to the state,” he said. “Well, ever since then, we've contacted this state back and forth, talking to their engineers, trying to get an answer — when are they going to fix it? And we just keep getting put off that they're in meetings [or] they don't call back."

Kearney said the situation worries him, especially when he sees pedestrians move into the street to get around the blockage.

“We were born and raised in Independence,” Kearney said. “We travel up and down Truman Road every day from the [Historic Independence] Square to home and back. ... They just can't throw anything up, but they have a lot of resources. It's something that should be taken care of, and it's a big safety issue.”

Kearney hopes it doesn’t take a tragedy to spur action.

"That would be my worst-case scenario: someone steps out in the roadway and gets hit," Kearney said.

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Malissa McCleery owns the property adjacent to the collapsed wall, which failed during a storm and remains dangerous more than a year later.

"It's really frustrating because right now I can't even have the mowers mow that part because it's risky,” she said. “They can fall; they can injure themselves.”

McCleery said she has spent $1,700 trying to keep the sidewalk clean and has contractors willing to rebuild the wall, but MoDOT won’t allow her to make repairs.

"I have contractors that would do it for a reasonable price, maintaining the same design of the wall and everything, and they said, 'No, that can't be done. It has to be done by them,'" McCleery said.

I reached out to MoDOT, which essentially told me the same thing it’s been telling McCleery and Kearney: “MoDOT is in the process of evaluating proposals for the design to restore the original look of the retaining wall. Due to the historical nature of the design, with the original retaining wall estimated to have been built in the early-1950's, identifying the scope for design and the unique need to study environmental impacts in the area took some additional time. Contracts for both design and construction will be awarded between 2026 and 2027.”

Meanwhile, McCleery has also received multiple citations from the city over the condition of the property, though Independence has dismissed each one after she called to explain the situation.

John Batten/KSHB

“I feel so bad, and I always get nervous, like, ‘I'm going to have to go to court; I'm going to have to pay some type of fine,’" McCleery said.

She admitted to being embarrassed by the condition of the property, but she wants people to know that she’s making every effort to fix it.

"Truman's house is just a block away,” McCleery said. “It's a historic site. It's a historic area. It looks really bad, so I hope they can hurry up and fix it for everybody's safety and to restore the look of the property.”

Kearney said he understands a full repair may take time, but he’s frustrated that there’s been no effort to clear the sidewalk — only a temporary barrier set up to prevent rocks, mud and debris from sliding into a stormwater grate at the intersection.

"If they can't get it fixed immediately, at least clear it to where it's passable,” Kearney said. “Then, if they have to take some time to repair the wall, so be it. But just to leave it with all that rock and dirt and mud and grass up high to your knees — no, they need to take care of that.”

I also reached out to the city of Independence for a comment:

The city put up “sidewalk closed” signs, but it remains blocked — with no definitive end in sight.

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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