• The study team will first establish a baseline traffic count and map traffic patterns of the existing bridge, highway and road network.

•  With input from residents, stakeholders, neighborhood groups, governments and transportation officials, study participants will define, map and model a series of long-term alternatives.

• Initial cost estimates will be developed for each alternative to help compare and evaluate future choices. 

• The study team will also produce a set of reasonable near-term improvement alternatives that could be implemented over time using a phased approach. These improvements will attempt to preserve future long-term options for the project.

JOINT COMMITTEE ON NEW BUCK O’NEIL BRIDGE ENHANCEMENTS
January 31, 2022

Under the leadership of co-chairs former Councilman Ed Ford and Bill Dietrich, President and CEO of the Downtown Council, and with the support of MoDOT, a diverse group of community members were gathered to recommend improvements to the Buck O’Neil Bridge project. These recommendations are not unanimous but do represent concrete suggestions to better connect the project to the community both physically and emotionally while acknowledging the complexities of the Design Build process.

ULI NATIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PANEL
September 22, 2017

The Urban Land Institute gathered experts from across the country to review the opportunities and provide suggestions about the North Loop in Kansas City. The panelist included:

Glenda Hood, triSect, LLC – Orlando, FL • Dean D. Bellas, Urban Analytics, Inc. – Alexandria, VA • Bill Clarke, Planning Consultant – Ross, CA • David Greensfelder, Greensfelder Commercial Real Estate LLC – San Francisco, CA • April Anderson Lamoureux, Anderson Strategic Advisors, LLC – Boston, MA • Todd Meyer, Forum Studio – Chicago, IL • Adam Weers, Trammell Crow Company – Washington, DC • John Paul Weesner, Kittleson & Associates – Orlando, FL

INITIAL ALTERNATIVES OPEN HOUSE
August 22, 2017

A packet of information about the alternatives is available for your review here:

REVIEW INITIAL ALTERNATIVES INFORMATION PACKET

Public input on the changing needs and goals of the region has informed the initial series of strategies you will see in this survey.

We need your input to further narrow the potential options  as the planning team moves forward. Each option on this survey can be rated on a scale of 1-10. Move the slider to the number that best reflects your opinion on the scale.

This survey has 14 questions and should take less than 10 minutes.

PURPOSE & NEED DOCUMENT
May 19, 2017

At the beginning of a major study like Beyond The Loop, a "Purpose and Need" document is required to clearly identify the criteria by which any proposed alternatives will be judged. This is a "living" document and may be updated throughout the study as additional data, analysis, and public input is collected and completed.

In 2015, MARC formally adopted their metropolitan transportation plan for greater Kansas City - Transportation Outlook 2040. The updated transportation plan provides a policy framework for the investment of federal, state, and local funds based on anticipated needs and regional goals and objectives.

The regional transportation vision established in the plan and carried forward into this PEL study is:

A safe, balanced, multi-modal transportation system that is coordinated with land-use planning, supports equitable access to opportunities, and protects the environment.

From that transportation vision and in-line with the overarching transportation objectives of the region, the Beyond the Loop PEL study needs have been identified and include:

• Improve Physical Conditions - Ensure that existing and new transportation assets in the Study Area better serve the region and are maintained in a state of good repair.

• Optimize System Performance - Manage the operations of the existing transportation facilities to achieve reliable and efficient performance.

• Improve Safety & Security - Identify reasonable improvements to ensure the safety and security of the affected area.

• Improve Transportation Choices - Provide viable, accessible, multi-modal transportation options.

• Improve Economic Vitality and Placemaking - Improve transportation and land-use linkages in the Study Area.

• Improve Sustainability - Protect and enhance the region’s natural, cultural, and social resources. Explore ways to mitigate the adverse impacts of the existing system and proposed alternatives.

MEETING MATERIALS FOR KICKOFF MEETING
February 23, 2017

Beyond the Loop held a scenario planning workshop to kick off the project. Nearly 160 community stakeholders and members of the public gathered at the Downtown Library to participate and share their thoughts on the future of the region. Participants came from downtown, Kansas City, Kansas and the Northland and contributed to the project both in small groups and with live polling. The information gathered will assist the project team as it drafts "Purpose and Need" and begins to identify alternatives that will help the region achieve the future it desires.

• Meeting presentation (Presenter notes can be found by clicking in the upper-right corner of the pdf)

• Results of live polling conducted during the meeting

• Project information brochure

• Post event press release

FAQ

• Will the study recommend one strategy over the others?   
  No. The focus of this study is to identify a series of feasible alternatives. While there is no limit to the number of alternatives that can be suggested, the study will help narrow these options using in-depth analysis and modeling. 

• What does PEL mean?
  The Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) process was established by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to provide a more efficient process of evaluating a full range of transportation concepts and identifying preferred improvements. This process allows early planning decisions to be carried forward and speed up future National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) activities. 

   The NEPA process is how FHWA determines if a project is eligible for federal funding. A NEPA study examines safety, engineering, neighborhood and community impacts before recommending a preferred alternative to move forward. The PEL study will give the region a head start on the NEPA process that will be required later.
  
   Alternatives studied as part of the PEL process do not have to be financially constrained — that is, it’s not necessary to spell out exactly where the money for future improvements will come from in a PEL study. The PEL process also allows for a longer time horizon to eventually move to project funding and construction.

• Who is conducting the PEL?
  The project sponsors are the Mid-America Regional Council, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Missouri Department of Transportation. The sponsors will work alongside the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, the Kansas Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Advising the study will be dozens of agencies, governments, neighborhood associations, citizen’s groups and residents.

JANUARY 2017

Baseline traffic counts, mapping, and analysis are underway.

FEBRUARY 2017

First public meeting will examine possible future scenarios. Purpose and need for the project are established.

*Meeting has been scheduled for February 23, 2017 at 2 p.m. at the Central Library - RSVP

SPRING/SUMMER 2017

Initial alternatives are identified and modeled.