The Lewis and Clark Expressway

Break out the fondue set and get ready to disco. We are up to date in Kansas City.

As I reported yesterday, City Hall this week allocated $350,000 for design work on a new expressway from I-435 Eastward through Sugar Creek and Independence—the so-called "Lewis and Clark" expressway. Federal funds will pay for 80% of this project. The money comes from a batch of legislation going all the way back to 1991 (when gasoline was much cheaper) and totaling $16.8 million. So far, a little more than $1.8 million has actually been allocated. Of the 20% being paid for by local governments, 40% is coming from Kansas City, 40% from Sugar Creek, and 20% from Independence.

The proposed expressway will run through the area formerly occupied by Armco Steel and the Sugar Creek oil refinery. The stated intent of this project is to "allow the redevelopment of brownfields. They're using an expressway to help redevelop an oil refinery. The irony is probably lost on the decision makers. I found this information listed on the ordinance fact sheet under the heading "sustainability." Do they even know what irony is?

By far, my favorite statement in this ordinance is this: "The project will have substantial environmental mitigation and has been studied numerous times over the last 30 years in accordance with the national environmental policy act of 1970." Break out the fondue set and get ready to disco. We are up to date in Kansas City. We've had not one, but two oil crises since 1970 and we're still following the environmental practices of a generation that used oil like it was tap water?

Since most of the money for this project has not been allocated, it's not too late to change this. Let me propose an alternative. The area of the proposed expressway has railroad tracks all through it. I say use the Federal funds for a commuter rail line. The railroads, I'm told, don't like sharing the tracks with passengers because it interferes with their revenue. So, upgrade the tracks. It'll create a smoother ride for transit passengers and allow the freight operators to move trains faster, making up for the slack created by morning and evening rush hours.

Those tracks also go through many areas with traditional street grids. So, if there's any money left over, spend it on pedestrian amenities in those neighborhoods. A commuter line would also benefit areas outside of the proposed project area like Kansas City's Northeast and certain parts of the inner city east of Troost. One rail line that runs along the river also runs through large tracks of land that appear from aerial photos to be undeveloped. (I don't know what the terrain is like.) This would be the ultimate urban infill project.

More highways is an expression of an old way of thinking, one which other parts of the country have movements against, but which we here in the Midwest still cling to.