After closure of 21 months, southbound traffic on Buck O’Neil Bridge now open

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Drivers headed to downtown Kansas City from the Northland...rejoice!

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday afternoon that southbound traffic on U.S. Highway 169 headed toward the downtown had reopened, along with the flyover ramp from southbound 169 to I-35.

The southbound bridge and flyover ramp from U.S. Highway 169 to I-35 is one of the last major aspects of the project to be completed. The northbound flyover ramp will be completed by the end of the year, MoDOT has estimated.

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Drivers headed south on 169 have used a detour or an alternative route since Feb. 6, 2023. Intermittent closures of northbound and southbound traffic on or near the bridge will take place as the project winds down.

Pedestrian access on both bridge structures will not be open to pedestrian traffic until Dec. 2024.

The following closures near the bridge project will remain in effect through Friday:

3rd St. at 4th St.
3rd St. at Woodswether Rd.

MoDOT leaders have estimated that after the project is complete, about 50,000 vehicles will traverse the bridge each day. The project is believed to have cost nearly $258 million.

The new Buck O’Neil Bridge is anticipated to last for 100 years or more.

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