Kansas City's New Parkway Plan for U.S. 71

0:00It's April 30th. I'm Cory with the story. This is Kansas News today, driven by AI. Kansas City just unveiled a fresh option for revamping US 71 highway to knit back together those east side neighborhoods sliced apart by the road. This new plan, a great separated parkway, dips the highway below existing cross streets, turning a stretch from 85th street to Martin Luther. King Jr. Boulevard into a freeway with bridges linking communities on both sides. Before this, folks had three choices on the table. Keep it a full freeway, switch to a boulevard, or restore the original street grid. The parkway idea cuts down clashes between pedestrians and zooming traffic, making it safer for everyone crossing over. Locals are digging this direction, with residents like one Mr. Jackson saying he really likes the changes. The whole push aims to boost safety, ease access and mobility, and dial back congestion that's plagued the area for years. City planners are now drafting a key planning and environmental documents set for public

1:01review this summer. Online voting on all four options stays open through May 8th, so east ciders can weigh in digitally. With community buy-in building and the process rolling forward, Kansas City looks primed to heal that urban divide and get traffic flowing smoother. Real soon.