We are envisioning a safer, more equitable, accessible, and connected future, together.
Reconnecting the East Side is not just a physical reconnect, but economic, social, residential, civic, and spirituality reconnection – not from one side of the highway to the other, but from the past to the future.
Focused on providing safe transportation improvements for the community, the Reconnecting the East Side project also aims to address some of the long-standing issues created when US-71 Highway construction divided neighborhoods, from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard on the north to 85th Street on the south and from Paseo Boulevard on the west and Swope Parkway on the east.
Led by Kansas City, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), this project is about more than roads – it is about physically restoring the heart of the East Side, by listening to its residents, identifying early action projects, and framing a long-term vision that can be implemented over the coming years.
Working hand in hand with the community, the project team is developing a comprehensive understanding of land use, green space, housing, economic development, public health, education, traffic safety, and other issues. Strategies for change will be identified to address the corridor’s needs.
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Your input will help guide planning, to reflect the needs of impacted neighborhoods and corridor users. Add your comments to our Engagement Map.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please use the dropdown arrows below to see frequently asked project questions.
If you don’t see your question here, we invite you to contact our project team.
The Reconnecting the East Side project is the first step in addressing challenges created when US-71 was constructed.
The project scope includes performing extensive community engagement and communications efforts, while conducting a thorough analysis of the corridor, to develop potential solutions. The point of this project is to chart a course toward a safer, more connected, and equitable community.
The project team will work with the community to develop a comprehensive understanding of land use, green space, housing, economic development, public health, education, and other issues. Strategies for change will be identified to address the corridor’s needs.
The project team is placing emphasis on comprehensive community engagement and collaboration, to ensure the alignment of project outcomes with community needs and aspirations.
In recognition of the importance of inclusive, community-informed decision-making, the project approach will seek to hear all voices, including those who were displaced and those who remain, those who originally organized in opposition to the highway and their descendants. Marginalized, historically under-represented, and disadvantaged community members will be reached in culturally appropriate ways. Non-English-speaking residents and low-income community members will be acknowledged.
The project team is planning and implementing a wide range of strategies, from listening to and gathering the stories of the community, acknowledging the history of US-71, to hosting a series of Reconnecting Kansas City Summits, and using innovative pop-up events and outreach tools.
The project team will staff the Reconnecting the East Side Project Office for community members to drop by, ask questions, and share their story.
Project Office:
Mary Williams-Neal Community Center
3801 Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64130
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday | 2 – 6 p.m.
In this work to re-imagine the neighborhoods and community fabric of the US-71 corridor, the project team is meeting community members where they are, to best engage, collaborate, and empower them. Feedback and insights gathered through this approach are instrumental in shaping the direction and final recommendations of the project, reaffirming the commitment to building physical and human infrastructure that serves the collective interests of the community.
Funding for the first two phases of the Reconnecting the East Side project is primarily provided through a $5 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant, with additional funding support in the amount of $2.5 million from the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and MoDOT.
This funding enables the first phase of the project, a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study, as well as the second phase addressing the 1985 Federal Consent Decree.
When these first two phases are completed successfully, the third phase can begin for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process and preliminary design for improvements the community may call for in Phase 1, potentially including safer roadway crossings, better infrastructure for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists, more green spaces, and enhanced access to essential services.
US-71 Highway divides a once-connected community, with few opportunities to cross by car or on foot. The distances between crossings – a half mile on average – add significant time to a pedestrian’s travel time. Far too many pedestrians have been killed or seriously injured while trying to cross US-71, even at legal crossing locations.
Traffic lights have failed to spur the local economic development that was promised by planners and elected officials years ago. It is clear there are many challenges to overcome in this corridor. The taking and demolition of African American and Caucasian homes, schools, churches and businesses to make way for the highway was just one part of the long-term injustice.
In 2022, the City adopted its Vision Zero KC: Safe, Healthy, and Equitable Streets for All Plan. This plan documents that since 2010, there has been a 37% increase in crashes in Kansas City, and the brunt of this increase occurred in low-income and minority communities. The plan identifies that the five-mile corridor encompassing the Reconnecting the East Side project sees the highest crashes for pedestrians and cyclists in the entire city. The US-71 corridor, as well as Prospect Avenue directly to the west, and Gregory Boulevard as it crosses US-71, were all identified as “Top Priority High Injury Networks.”
Improving safety of the US-71 corridor is a primary focus of this project as there are many residents who cross the corridor by foot, bicycle, and using a mobility device who are considered vulnerable road users. As part of the Reconnecting the East Side project, traffic calming measures, access to basic infrastructure like safer crossings and connected sidewalks, vulnerable-road-user-friendly designs, and updated roadway infrastructure will be explored to address these serious safety concerns.
Kansas City is managing the Reconnecting the East Side project, in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). The City and its Hg Consult-led consultant team are coordinating closely with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), MoDOT, MARC, and other regulatory agencies.
Although these agencies are partnering to manage this project, the community will play a key role in leading the conversation and deciding the future of the US-71 corridor.
The Reconnecting the East Side project is still in its early stages, where much of the important investigative work will be completed, and the project scope of work will progress through three phases on the following timeline:
- Phase 1 (Fall 2024 – Winter 2026):
Developing a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study - Phase 2 (Fall 2025 – Summer 2026):
Addressing the 1985 Federal Consent Decree - Phase 3 (Summer 2026 – Fall 2028):
Advancing to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process and Preliminary Design
This timeline is subject to change as the Reconnecting the East Side project evolves.
When the Phase 3 NEPA review process and Preliminary Design is complete, a Final Design Phase could commence, which could lead to a future Construction Phase.
At this time, there is not an anticipated schedule for either Final Design or Construction Phases, and there is not identified funding for these potential future phases.
A Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) process used to plan solutions for transportation issues, priorities, and environmental concerns. It is a concept-level, decision-making tool supported by planning analyses. PEL planning activities and analyses include the following: user characteristics, safety, economic benefits, land development, natural and man-made environment, and community engagement.
The Missouri Department of Transportation anticipates incorporating recommendations made as part of the PEL study into future National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) studies, per Title 23 of the US Code, Part 168. The NEPA regulations encourage agencies to take appropriate advantage of existing documents and studies, like PEL, through adoption, use, and incorporation by reference during the NEPA phase, which for this project is anticipated as Phase 3 (Summer 2026 – Fall 2028) when the city will advance to the NEPA review process and developing conceptual design solutions.
US-71 is unique among urban highways. It started like many others, in a frenzy of interstate highway planning and construction, 70 years ago, but was delayed and significantly altered due to organized community resistance.
A compromise solution resulted from the 1985 Federal Consent Decree, where by US-71 was to be built as “less than a highway and more than a parkway.” The highway was finally opened for operation in 2001, and in the 24 years since, several of the stated benefits and compromise solutions have failed to materialize.
What’s more, new traffic safety issues and barriers to mobility for neighborhoods, on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri, have arisen. The decree required retention of three signalized, at-grade crossings and imposes specific legal guidelines for any substantial reconfiguration of the US-71 corridor. Addressing or resolving the decree is a key focus of Phase 2, to allow for transformative solutions. The project team will work with legal counsel to enable transformative solutions that prioritize equity, connectivity, and community needs.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process is governed by the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) guidelines. This NEPA process can take several forms and may explore impacts of refined alternatives that are developed in Phase 1, as well as mitigations to air quality, natural habitats, protected species, socioeconomics, soils and farmland, hazardous materials, and more.
For more information about NEPA, visit the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) website or the FHWA’s website.
The FHWA NEPA process allows transportation officials to make project decisions that balance engineering and transportation needs with social, economic, and natural environmental factors.
The Reconnecting the East Side Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study focuses on two distinct Study Areas, depending on what information is being obtained:
- Area of Influence: The project’s area of influence generally is bounded by Paseo Boulevard to the west, Swope Parkway to the east, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the north, and East 85th Street to the south.
- Area of Potential Effect: The project’s area of potential effect generally follows US-71 between Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and East 85th Street, and then includes a narrow buffer on either side of US-71 (roughly Prospect Avenue to South Benton Boulevard). This area is intended to be wide enough (plus about 50 feet in either direction) to cover any potential improvement strategy and with potential construction limits.
The project team is working hand in hand with the community on this project:
- Project Ambassadors: consisting of elected officials and leadership in the region
- Technical Advisory Group (TAG): consisting of City departments and public agencies
- Community Advisory Group (CAG): neighborhood representatives, advocates, and others
- The broader community: develop a comprehensive understanding of corridor issues — land use, green space, housing, economic development, public health, education, and others.
This collective will work together to identify strategies, improvement concepts, and initial and refined alternatives that meet the US-71 corridor’s needs.
Community members will also have opportunities to engage through Neighborhood Listening Sessions and four Community Summits, beginning in 2025.
- Community Summits: Beginning in March 2025, four community visioning sessions will focus on gathering input, developing a shared vision of initial alternatives, and reviewed refined alternatives. These sessions will include interactive tools like maps to help community members visualize and design future alternatives.
- Neighborhood Listening Sessions: Beginning in February 2025, nearly 90 meetings will be held with neighborhood groups to gather insights and ensure diverse voices are heard. Meetings will be a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats to accommodate all participants.
- Pop-Up Meetings: Beginning in February 2025, up to 12 pop-up events will occur at community locations such as schools, libraries, and transit stops. These meetings bring information and engagement opportunities directly to residents in informal settings.
- Key Person Interviews: One-on-one and small group interviews will be conducted with residents, historians, business owners, and other stakeholders to gather detailed feedback and perspectives.
- Project Videos and Storytelling: A series of videos will document the project’s progress, capture community stories, and provide historical context to inform and engage the public.
- Bilingual Outreach: Materials and events will be offered in English and Spanish to ensure accessibility. Certified translators and interpreters will support meetings and materials.
- Interactive Online Tools: This project website will feature surveys, interactive maps, and a comment form to gather input and facilitate two-way communication.
The community can get involved in this project in a variety of ways:
- Sign up for updates and receive information on this project website to learn more about upcoming Neighborhood Listening Sessions, Community Summits, and other community engagement events.
- Visit the project website for news and announcements. (You are here!)
- Join us at community Neighborhood Listening Sessions, which are local neighborhood meetings, as well as Third and Fifth District meetings, where project team members will be present to hear your feedback – beginning in February 2025.
- Join the project’s four (4) Community Summits that the project team will convene to share more information about the project and seek input, on all aspects of the project – beginning in March 2025.
- Community Summits provide an opportunity for residents to share input, explore design alternatives, and collaborate on solutions. They are critical for ensuring the project reflects community priorities.
- Follow, share, and stay engaged with us on our social media channels
