KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The next phase of Kansas City, Missouri’s Vision Zero safety improvement project is focused on Troost Avenue between 55th and 63rd streets.
For the last five years, the city has been working to make traffic in the Troost corridor, stretching from Truman Road to Bannister Road, safer for pedestrians and drivers.
According to city data, speeding and a lack of traffic control have led to 3,696 crashes between Truman and Bannister in the last 10 years. Twenty-six people were killed.
There have already been improvements to intersections, walkways and installations of new traffic signals following a crash that killed a University of Missouri-Kansas City student.
Uday Manepalli, engineering division head of Public Works, has been gathering community input and encourages anyone with ideas to fill out the online survey on the city’s website.
“We are trying to engage with the community to see what are the things they want to see, rather than we telling them what we want to do,” Manepalli said. “To identify what people perceive as the issue, and then we are going to verify with the data with have.”
The city recently applied for a $20 million grant specifically for the Troost corridor. Officials expect to hear back by the end of July.
Ben Heinlein, president of the Rockhill Ridge Neighborhood Association, has lived in the Rockhill Ridge neighborhood for over 30 years.
The neighborhood is located west of Troost Avenue, from 55th to 59th.
“The speed is a huge issue,” Heinlein said. ”The condition of sidewalks, the crosswalks, parking, speed control, the visibility of intersections… There’s quite a bit to be addressed.”
Adding to the problem, this neighborhood is rapidly growing with businesses. But Heinlein said the old infrastructure is not cutting it.
He wants to see two-lane roads, signage and perhaps bump-outs.
Jeffrey Williams, who lives at 59th Street and Rockhill Road, agrees.
But he said the good news is he thinks the city sees the Troost corridor as more of an investment and priority now.
“New housing, more businesses, businesses drawing people from a good distance away…" Williams said. "So now, I think it’s more about opportunity — to really encourage more people to come, visit and spend their money here, and feel safe as they travel here to do that."
Heinlein described the Rockhill Ridge neighborhood as friendly and tight-knit. He hopes the city will deliver on its promise so the neighborhood can thrive for years to come.
“We’re really excited that the city is taking the time and gonna engage with the citizens in order for this to be done correctly,” Heinlein said.
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