KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Transportation announced Friday a temporary fix to allow northbound motorists to use the U.S. 169 bridge near the downtown Kansas City, Missouri, airport.
A bridge that carried northbound U.S. 169 traffic was shut down in December after motorists and MoDOT maintenance workers reported an uneven expansion joint.
RELATED | Kansas City motorist shares video of driving over raised expansion joint on US 169
Greg Bolon, MoDOT Kansas City District engineer, said Friday that inspectors found the cause of the issue stemmed instead from a shift in the soil underneath the bridge that affected metal rocker pieces.
Bolon said MoDOT officials wanted to find a solution that would restore traffic for northbound motorists and decided on a “head-to-head” traffic solution, which will utilize the southbound lanes of U.S. 169 to carry one lane of SB traffic and one lane of NB traffic.
MoDOT engineers will spend the next several weeks - weather permitting - to create the flyover to switch the traffic pattern.
Bolon expects the head-to-head traffic pattern to last at least two years. The exact start of the new pattern isn’t yet known.
During that timeframe, the original northbound bridge that was closed will be rebuilt. The bridge, which was built in 1956, had previously been scheduled for replacement in late summer 2026.
Bolon said it didn’t make sense to make significant repairs to the northbound bridge given its looming replacement.
While northbound traffic will once again be able to use U.S. 169, Bolon advised motorists to consider using other river crossings, specifically the Fairfax bridge in Kansas City, Kansas, or the Heart of America Bridge.
Before the closure last month, the four lanes of U.S. 169 carried roughly 40,000 cars per day. With the head-to-head traffic pattern, those 40,000 vehicles will have to use just two lanes.
“Our suggestion is to take time now to alter your traffic patterns,” Bolon said, noting that the new head-to-head traffic pattern will have a reduced speed limit of 45 miles per hour.
Bolon cautioned motorists against using the Kit Bond Bridge that carries Interstate 35/29 across the Missouri River - the bridge already carries more than 100,000 vehicles per day, putting it at capacity.
The cost of the temporary traffic shift wasn’t immediately clear.
Under the new plan, traffic on Missouri Route 9 will not be able to access SB U.S. 169, and NB U.S. 169 traffic won’t be able to exit onto Missouri Route 9.
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