Beardsley's Back!
Beardsley Road, a favorite short-cut connector between the River Market and the West Side (and Crossroads), reopened this past week to no fanfare, but to great joy to those who enjoyed taking advantage of it's speedy bypass of downtown KC's traffic and traffic lights.
There's still a few finishing touches left so there are plenty of cones to be dodged, but quick travel from the north to the southwest parts of the downtown area is finally restored after far too long of a wait.
It's no wonder there has been no fanfare, as it would require an admission that the project was completed more than a year late. During that time it was one of the most frequently requested Watchdog topics.
Beardsley Road closed nearly 3 years ago for a project to shore up the retaining wall and rebuild the road bed. It was scheduled for completion in June 2007 but that came and went. Then it was rescheduled for completion in September 2007 and that came and went. Apparently the new road started sliding down the bluff, something that had never happened with the old retaining wall. So they had to start over. A March 2008 completion date was promised, then June 2008. Finally, in mid to late July 2008, it's back!
The new section of roadway between 17th St and 12th Street is wider and features a pedestrian/bike lane separated from traffic. The section from 12th Street to St. Louis Avenue remains unimproved, begging the question of why they didn't upgrade this portion while the road was closed for 3 years anyway.
Oh well, it's great having this road open again! I'll keep my fingers crossed that they leave it open for a while, and that when they finally upgrade the last segment they can do it without a 3-year closure.
Comments
Thank god. Best 'worst-kept' secret in the city. File this under 'about damn time.'
Posted by: bob atkins | July 29, 2008 07:03 AM