Kansas City, Missouri – A $1 million federal grant will not rebuild Kansas City’s highways. It could, however, answer the multibillion-dollar question standing between years of planning and the first day of construction.
The city and the Missouri Department of Transportation will use the money to explore how to finance major changes to US 71 and Interstate 35. Together, the proposed improvements could cost roughly $4.5 billion.
The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau, which provides infrastructure financing support and technical assistance. Kansas City and MoDOT will bring in specialists in finance and project delivery to study practical ways of paying for and completing work along both corridors.
US 71 and I-35 are among the region’s busiest transportation routes, carrying residents, workers and goods across the metropolitan area. Yet their impact extends beyond traffic. Highway 71 has long divided neighborhoods on Kansas City’s East Side, while I-35 separates communities in the Westside.
City studies and public discussions conducted over several years have examined ways to reconnect those areas. The new grant moves that effort into a different phase: determining which financial models can turn community-backed concepts into projects that can legally and realistically move forward.
“Kansas City is growing, and our infrastructure must grow with it,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
“We are thankful for the $1 million investment that will provide us the expertise to develop a responsible, long-term funding plan for improvements that will benefit residents, businesses, and the entire region for decades to come.”
The expert team will compare possible funding and construction approaches, measure the advantages and costs of each option and identify at least two strategies permitted under Missouri law. Those recommendations are expected to help the city and state decide how the two large projects could advance toward construction.
MoDOT Assistant District Engineer of Program Delivery Jeff Hardy said the corridors are closely connected to the region’s residents and economy.
“Investing in US 71 and I-35 means investing in the people and economy of the Kansas City region,” Hardy said. “MoDOT is committed to working with the City to develop a funding strategy that is creative, sustainable, and reflective of the communities these corridors serve.”
Residents will remain involved as the financing study progresses. Kansas City and MoDOT plan to continue holding public workshops, giving neighborhood members, businesses and other stakeholders opportunities to shape how the highways are improved.
For now, the grant represents a planning investment rather than construction money. But with the potential price reaching $4.5 billion, developing a credible funding strategy is a necessary step toward reconnecting neighborhoods and modernizing two highways central to Kansas City’s future.
