Big Dreams, Small Actions
In a previous post, I noted how the power of some very small changes can make a big difference in bridging the physical divides in Kansas City. And in truth, almost any city can say the same. Now, we get to take that same notion and dream bigger. A lot bigger. But still, with a remarkable ability to implement in very easy, do-able steps. Let’s see what’s possible.
Where we left off - a connected series of high-quality paths in much of KC south of the river
I left the readers off in the heart of Westport on Mill Street, showing how easy and inexpensive it is to create a first-class bicycle connection from Westport through the Plaza and to two major trails in the city - the Brush Creek Trail and the Trolley Track Trail. Doing so brings together people from a very large area into two of the most active places for entertainment and employment in our city. Did I mention, it’s rather easy and practically costs nothing?
But ending in Westport doesn’t seem good enough, when our city has so much more to explore, and since we have other excellent opportunities for first-rate biking. So where can we go, and go with the most bang for the buck?
First, we need to move north and west on Mill Street to reach its terminus at Southwest Trafficway. The portion of Mill Street north of Westport Road is a rather wide and fast street, as it was designed in a suburban fashion to serve the strip malls and fast food outlets along its path. Again, a simple change can still accommodate the current needs but create a very safe and attractive route for cyclists. Simply taking over the outside lane (as has already partially been accomplished) with bollards and concrete delineators can easily take cyclists up to Southwest Trafficway. There’s nothing lost by making this change, other than potentially losing an unnecessary center turn lane on a low-traffic street.
Mill Street today - overly wide, with limited traffic
Southwest Trafficway intersection possibilities
But now what? Now we find ourselves at the beast of Midtown: Southwest Trafficway; easily one of the most horrendously designed and ill-considered pieces of infrastructure in our city’s history. It’s made even more ignominious by the use of “Trafficway” in the name. No city street that moves through neighborhoods should ever be named “Trafficway.”
In this location, we have an advantage for crossing because of a traffic signal. The signal takes you across to a bizarre little stub street of west 40th Terrace or an abandoned right of way just south of it. From there, it’s easy to loop around on very safe, low-volume and narrow residential streets to end up at 39th and Roanoke Road. Proceeding north on Roanoke takes you ultimately into Roanoke Park. Now while I dream of the day that Roanoke Road is closed to traffic in the park, for now we can imagine a newly-constructed bike path through the park on the east side of the street. I say newly-constructed, since the current sidewalk itself is too narrow to serve both purposes, and the street is not conducive to cycling as a brick street. Still, this is nothing more than widening a sidewalk to take one to Karnes Boulevard.
Moving north from Westport to the West Side
That’s where it starts to get really interesting. Beginning at Karnes and heading north all the way to Southwest Boulevard is an old and abandoned railroad right-of-way. It curves around the bluffs and has the opportunity to be one of those gems of a rails-to-trails pathway. As it slithers northward, it moves through a current lumberyard property that is certain to be a redevelopment in the near future. But, the right of way is still there, and still open for potential use as a pathway. Hat tip for future development: don’t forego this important asset!
Southwest Boulevard today
A new, improved Southwest Boulevard. This can entirely be started with paint and bollards.
Next up: Southwest Boulevard. Southwest Boulevard today has a bike lane, but it’s sadly one of the city’s least safe and least enjoyable. But again, some simple changes with paint and bollards and concrete parking stops can make this an excellent route that continues all the way to Summit Street (and certainly even farther).Now you’ve made your way through KC’s Westside neighborhood, and connected even more people to opportunity and entertainment.
Moving through the West Bottoms and into KCK
At Summit Street, a quick jog north two blocks brings you to West Pennway. From here, you find yourself on the Riverfront Heritage Trail and eventually Beardsley Road. Much of this route is already well-marked and safe. It also has some of the most interesting features of any trail experience in the region, as it winds above and through the West Bottoms. When it continues under the I-70 viaduct, it pops over the Kansas River in a fantastic bike/pedestrian-only bridge. Following the route eventually takes you to Kaw Point Park, which affords an amazing view of downtown KCMO, as well as a great opportunity to get up close and personal with where the Kansas and Missouri rivers come together. It’s one of my favorite spots in the whole city.
A view from Kaw Point Park
At this point, you’ve now traversed some of KCMO’s most interesting urban neighborhoods and destinations, and found yourself in KCK.
What happens next??
Using the levee in KCK
From Kaw Point Park, all we need are some open minds and bureaucratic flexibility. We have an extensive levee system in our region, for very obviously-needed reasons. But sadly they are mostly closed off for recreational use. KCK has had success recently with a trail along the Kansas River levee south of this area in Armourdale, and it gives us all a preview of what could happen elsewhere. There’s simply no compelling reason to object to more use of the levees for recreational aspect, as other cities have done for decades.
In this case, if the levee north of Kaw Point Park could be officially just opened for bicycle / pedestrian use, you could now loop around for over four miles to find yourself looking up at the Fairfax Bridge. A quick loop around some industrial development gets you right to a ready-made path to take you over the bridge back into Missouri. You might say, how scenic is coming through an industrial era? I might say - incredibly scenic! It’s an important part of our city and heritage, and I have always enjoyed getting up close and personal with big industry at work - even the post-industrial.
So guess what, now you’re across the Missouri River and the path takes you down the Argosy Casino. Anyone care for crab legs?
Crossing into the Northland
Argosy Casino. How can this be a good place to land? Well actually… here’s the thing: the Argosy Casino is also the end point for the beautiful (and long) Line Creek Trail that winds for over 8 miles into the Northland. It just takes following a few by-the-road pathways to get there, but it’s quite safe and easy for nearly any cyclist.
Line Creek Trail
And there you have it. This meandering pathway connects up the best trail in the Northland with the best trails south of the river. It takes you through a montage of Kansas City like nothing else you’ll encounter, for nearly 25 miles. And, it’s all incredibly easy and inexpensive to stitch together. This is not a pie-in-the-sky scheme that should take decades to implement. Most of it just takes agreement to make it happen.
The most iconic aspects of every region tend to spring from their own unique attributes. Atlanta’s Beltline, New York’s Highline, Minneapolis’ lake trails. These are all rooted in each city’s own history and geography. In Kansas City, we have a unique combination of rivers, bluffs, waterways and industry that has shaped our city. It’s all far more beautiful than we often realize. It could be even more beautiful, and used, if we created more opportunities for direct engagement. The interplay between nature and our industrial history is long, fascinating and worth exposing - not hiding behind walls or levees. What if we could link all that up on one spine, for recreation and transportation? What if it all literally told the story of our city along its path?
A world-class pathway for recreation and transportation
Of course there are other options and possibilities for routes. We have some excellent routes today that are tailor-made for e-bikes, as detailed here. If we’re thinking ahead, e-bikes will be a huge part of our transportation ecosystem, and I continue to argue will be much more prevalent than autonomous vehicles. The bikes will only get better and better over time, and less and less expensive. For the early adopters among us, they’ve already become life-changing. How much fun would a 25+ mile e-bike ride be on this route?
Once a spine is in, it’s easy to dream of the possibilities
But progress has to start somewhere, and in this case it starts with a single, high-quality spine. Once the spine is in, the possible connections become exciting and more important. We’ve seen this already with the streetcar spine in downtown, and its effects on development, on civic spirit, and on how we are now planning for future public transportation. There’s no doubt that once we make the spine happen, we’ll have a huge demand to connect from existing and possible paths. If we were to pursue this with a sense of urgency and cooperation, the rest of the magic will happen on its own.
I hope this illustrates the power of thinking in small, incremental steps to create something transformative. None of this needs a massive infusion of cash or infrastructure dollars. A great deal of it is just lying there waiting to be connected. None of this requires a massive policy overhaul. But it does require people to take action with intention, and to have a sense of cooperation and progress. It requires leaving behind some ideas from decades ago - about traffic movement, about levees, about divisions in our city. And that’s ok. In fact, it’s high time. Let’s embrace moving on from 20th-century notions of our city and our region which haven’t served us well. Let’s embrace some small changes that lead to big ideas. We’ve got 80 years left in the 21st century. How about we chart a new course now to make the most of it?
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