FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 27, 2006

Councilmembers and area business leaders tour bridge construction projects in West Bottoms

Councilwoman Bonnie Sue Cooper, 2nd District at large; Councilman John Fairfield, 2nd District; and representatives from the Central Industrial District Association and the Kansas City Industrial Council on Thursday toured some of the construction projects under way in the West Bottoms industrial district.

Members of the City of Kansas City, Mo., Capital Improvements Management Office led the tour and highlighted the work being done on the Beardsley Road Bridge and the middle deck of the 12th Street Viaduct.

"These two extensive bridge projects in the West Bottoms show Kansas City's commitment to citizen safety," Fairfield said. "Better bridges also mean better access to this busy industrial district located in the heart of our community."

Due to the volume of construction projects in the central industrial district, maintaining easily navigated access to the area has been crucial. To that end, CIMO worked closely with members of the Central Industrial District Association and area businesses to coordinate schedules and avoid travel congestion during peak traffic times.

"Despite all the construction going on downtown, the City has been able to minimize the inconvenience to those of us who make our livelihood here and those visiting one of the many events hosted in this area," said Tom Roberts, president of the Central Industrial District Association.

Workers have started phase two of the three-phase, $12.5 million rehabilitation of the 12th Street Viaduct Bridge. Phase two, which repairs the middle deck of the structure, is 85 percent complete and is planned to be completed in October. The third and final phase involves rehabilitating the bridge deck and repairing the eastern substructure. The upper deck will remain open to traffic with only partial closures. This portion of the project is scheduled to be complete in spring 2008. City and federal money funded the reconstruction, which will extend the life of the bridge for another 25 years.

Construction on the Beardsley Road Bridge began in December 2005 and involves rebuilding 640 feet of the bridge. The $5.8 million project also will restore and reconstruct a nearby retaining wall and replace the road between 12th Street and 17th Street. Construction crews are working on the roadway and will set steel girders in September. This project is scheduled for completion in July 2007. The work will extend the bridge's lifespan by more than 70 years. Funds for the project were acquired through the City's bridge rehabilitation program.

For more information about this project, visit the Capital Improvements Management Office's Web site (www.kcmo.org/cimo).