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Frequently Asked Questions

Major Phases
of the Study

  • Completed Document Schedule

  • Completed Project Schedule

  • Public Meetings


Overview Questions

  1. What is the Missouri River Corridor project?

    The Missouri River Corridor will decide which transportation projects – if any – will be built to improve safety and mobility in the corridor.

    The Missouri River Corridor is a proposed 40-kilometer (24.8 mile) roadway to be located in the cities of Kansas City, Sugar Creek and Independence, and parts of unincorporated Jackson County, Missouri. Three segments comprise the total corridor:

    • I-435 to Sterling Avenue

    • South Riverfront Expressway from Sterling Avenue to Route 24

    • Little Blue Expressway from Route 24 to 39th Street and Selsa Road

    The study, guided by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), has included an extensive community involvement process. The study will focus on how proposed improvements would impact the community and environmental issues.

    Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation (BWR) is conducting the environmental documentation and independent utility determinations in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Mid-America Regional Council, and the cities of Independence, Kansas City, and Sugar Creek, Missouri.

  2. Who can I contact if I have questions?

    Questions regarding the Missouri River Corridor Study can be directed to the agencies and individuals listed at the following link:

                CONTACTS

Progress, Timeline and Cost

  1. Who is funding the project? 

    MARC, MoDOT, the Cities of Kansas City, Independence, and Sugar Creek are sharing the cost of the Missouri River Corridor EIS, using funding they have set aside for planning for long-term transportation improvements. 

  2. How much does the project cost once construction is underway?  Who is paying for these improvements?

    Currently, construction funding has not been set aside, because no decisions have been made. After the EIS has decided which – if any – projects will be built, the agencies will develop funding strategies based on detailed construction cost estimates. 

  3. Does my opinion matter?  What is the public’s role in this process?

    The public plays a critical role by helping to identify transportation needs, issues, and alternatives and then by assisting the project team to determine whether they’re addressed by the alternatives under consideration as well as identifying the environmental mitigation efforts as appropriate.

  4. What is the timeline for this project? 

    There is no set timeline for the project to move from the study phase into the design or purchasing of Right-of-Way. At this time, the timeline is merely for preparing the report. There are no anticipated dates for the actual construction.

  5. Will cost be a criterion in the decision?

    Cost will be considered, among numerous other criteria. The EIS process uses many criteria to evaluate the alternatives to ultimately select the best solution. 

  6. Who is the ultimate decision maker for this project?

    FHWA are the ultimate decision-makers who will issue the Record of Decision (ROD). They are working cooperatively with MARC, MoDOT, and the Cities of Kansas City, Independence, and Sugar Creek on the Missouri River Corridor EIS. The entire process and input from the public is taken into account with the ultimate decision.

Community Questions

  1. Am I going to be impacted by this study?  Will I lose my house? 

    This study focuses on deciding the future of the corridor and developing a transportation system that improves mobility and safety. If some alternatives under study would require taking homes, we would take that under consideration in the evaluation process. We don’t know if any homes are going to be taken and won’t really know until the ultimate decision is made at the end of the EIS. 

  2. What type of access is available to this proposed facility? 

    The study is evaluating an expressway for the entire study corridor. An expressway is designed to move large volumes of through traffic for longer travel distances than any other type of roadways except freeways. Access to an expressway is granted only at limited points either at at-grade or grade-separated intersections. A minimum spacing of ˝ mile between access points should be maintained. The primary functions of the road are to serve through traffic and to assure traffic mobility. Generally, expressways are at least three miles in length. An existing example is M-210 from I-29/I-35 to I-435.

Where Do We Go From Here (Next Steps)

  1. So, what happens next?

    Once approval is granted for each of the sections, the next step is to continue with detailed environmental documentation either in the form of an Environmental Assessment (EA) or a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

    The entire process and public input will be used to help settle on the best build alternative for the Missouri River Corridor.  After that, a number of things must happen before the project(s) can be executed:

    • Preparation of Final Environmental Documentation

    • Federal Environmental Clearance

    • Secure Funding

    • Detailed Engineering and Design

 

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