KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City is lining up as much as $72 million in federal money for a Lydia Avenue flyover that would lift street traffic over three busy rail lines beside Berkley Riverfront Park.
Mayor Quinton Lucas announced the award Wednesday, saying the grant will help build the bridge, cut dangerous railroad crossings and reconnect Northeast neighborhoods to the growing riverfront. Port KC, which is advancing the project, confirmed it was awarded $72 million for the riverfront rail crossing elimination work at Lydia Avenue.
The plan targets three at-grade crossings on Lydia Avenue that serve major freight carriers, including Union Pacific tracks plus Kansas City Southern and BNSF lines. Drivers and pedestrians have waited through train blockages lasting as long as 40 minutes, and Port KC has warned that barriers and signals alone are not keeping ride-share users, walkers and cyclists safe at the choke point.
Port KC president and CEO Jon Stephens said the funding will better link Columbus Park with an expanded Berkley Riverfront community. He said the flyover will include safe walking paths for cars and pedestrians heading toward the Missouri Riverfront and will also improve freight rail efficiency through Kansas City.
The agency is putting up a 20 percent non-federal match. An earlier Federal Railroad Administration Railroad Crossing Elimination grant of about $2 million paid for planning and 30 percent design work, with that study expected to finish by August 2027 with environmental paperwork and a conceptual design.
Lucas framed the flyover as another piece of riverfront momentum, tying a larger-capacity CPKC Stadium, new housing, restaurants and the streetcar extension to historic neighborhoods in the Northeast. Port KC says design and planning will start right away, though a construction start date has not been set.
For residents who have watched trains pin traffic against the river for years, the grant is the first clear path to a grade-separated crossing just south of Berkley Parkway, west of Interstate 29. City and Port KC leaders say more project details will follow in the coming months as final design work ramps up in Kansas City.
Section: More Kansas City MO business news
Filed under: Kansas City MO Business News
