The Story of US-71: Mistakes to the East Side Were Made

Decades ago, the construction of US-71 Highway drastically and dramatically altered the East Side of Kansas City, Missouri. The taking and demolition of thousands of predominantly African American homes, schools, churches and businesses to make way for the highway was just one part of the long-term injustice. Entire neighborhoods and long-time members of the community were displaced, generational wealth was taken, and communities were completely separated, leaving a legacy of grief, economic challenges, broken promises, and deep distrust that is still felt today.

Through the Reconnecting the East Side project, we acknowledge these injustices and intend to recognize and honor the history and resilience of the people most affected. This project offers our community the opportunity to learn from the past and rebuild trust in government so that we can reweave the fabric of our neighborhoods and ensure the future of the East Side is built on equity, inclusivity, and shared community values.

Project History

1950s – 1960s: Early Plans and Community Concerns

• 1950s: Plans for a new highway corridor that is a north-south link through Kansas City begin to take shape as urban development expands and as officials want to connect Lee’s Summit, Grandview and the Northland to Downtown. An original proposed route for the highway was the streetcar tracks along Brookside Blvd., but a cheaper and more direct route through the East Side is selected.
• 1960s: Designs for US-71 propose a route, a total of 10.2 miles, cutting through East Side neighborhoods, raising concerns about displacement, economic exclusion, and community division. It is estimated US-71 will dislocate 1,500 homes, 256 duplexes, 688 apartments and 87 businesses, and displace approximately 7,400 people. By February 1965, opponents had filed the first petition at City Hall complaining of the disruption to the neighborhood that the route would create.

1970s: Early Impacts and Community Reaction to US-71

• 1970 – 1972: Construction on US-71 begins, sparking significant opposition from local residents and community groups, which subsequently begin to organize to highlight the social, economic, residential and civic harms of the project.
• 1970s: Widespread displacement occurs as entire neighborhoods are removed to make way for US-71 Highway, which threatens to disrupt established communities and create long-term grievances.
• 1973: Concerns over dividing neighborhoods, civil rights violations and questions about potential economic and environmental impacts led to a federal lawsuit filed in 1973 by advocacy groups and residents, who cited racial and economic inequities in the highways’ planning and implementation process. These legal actions were not resolved for more than 10 years, and while the lawsuit did not prevent the US-71’s construction, it led to a series of compromises including the creation of Bruce R. Watkins Drive, as “something less than a freeway and more than a parkway” (Consent Decree) with a lower speed limit, three traffic lights on the roadway, and sidewalk bridges to make both sides accessible to the neighborhoods. In addition, via Resolution No. 57687 (adopted in 1985), the City’s Community Development Office dedicated one full-time planner to focus on low-income housing for a year-long period while working from an office provided by the East-Meyer Community Association.

1980s: Legal Challenges and Consent Decree for US-71

• 1985: A Federal Consent Decree is issued, acknowledging the negative impacts of US-71 Highway's construction. The Federal Consent Decree outlines commitments to address environmental justice and equity concerns.

1990s – 2000s: Living in Disconnect in the Midst of US-71

• 1990s: Construction of US-71 continues and divides neighborhoods along the corridor, resulting in economic stagnation and limited access to community resources, reduced property values, barriers to mobility, and devastating increases in fatal and serious-injury crashes along the highway corridor.
• 2000s: US-71 was completed in October 2001. During the 50 years it took to build the highway, more than 10,000 people were relocated. The people displaced received an average of $15,000 for their property and $3,500 for relocation costs. Calls for addressing the harms caused by US-71 Highway grow louder as community groups advocate for reconnecting the area.

2020s: A New Commitment to Reconnecting the East Side

• 2022: Initial discussions about revitalizing the US-71 Highway corridor gain traction among city planners and local advocates, including Mayor Quinton Lucas, whose grandmother was displaced by the construction. The City of Kansas City, Missouri, partners with Accelerator for America to secure a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant to fund the "Reconnecting the East Side" project.
• 2024: The City selects Hg Consult, a minority-owned business based in Kansas City, to lead the Reconnecting the East Side project team and begin a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study, the first of three phases for the project.

The Path Forward

• 2025 – 2026: Addressing the 1985 Federal Consent Decree.
• 2026 – 2028: Advancing to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process and developing conceptual design solutions.
• Beyond 2028: Final design and implementation of reparative improvements and restorative initiatives designed to help heal the East Side community.