Exit ramps that don't work in town

Exit ramps in the metropolitan area that are far, far overdue for reworking and updating because there are far too many cars that need to access them now:

First up--I-35 North to 635 North, especially during rush hour. It backs up for miles. Insane.

Next up--I-435 West (in Johnson County, KS--OP) to I-35 South. Another one-liner. Far backed up.

And for that matter, I-435 South to I-35 South--the same intersection. It all dumps into the same line. Crazy.

Third--I-435 South on the East side of the city, by the stadiums, to I-70 East. A famous long line either during rush hour or anywhere near a Royals baseball or Chiefs football game. Crazy lines and out-and-out dangerous, at times.

These three, at least, need updating, widening, hopefully, and improving, for safety and the good flow of traffic. It can add to productivity, too.

I'm not holding my breath.

Notes on driving around the city last evening

Three notes:

--First, it seems clear--very clear--that the state of Missouri got a whole lot of things done on I-435 and I-70 in order to spruce it up prior to Major League Basevall's All Star Game that's coming up shortly. It's wider, smoother, painted and nearly completely ready to go. Kudos to all involved.

--Second, I cannot begin to understand who thought up the new interchange at I-435 and Front Street.

Wow. Just wow.

A "roundabout" like they have in Europe and that we've imitated now, here in the States, has nothing on the zig-zag that this intersection has going on. When you're driving it, you're not quite sure where it's going and you're following all the signs you can, just to make sure you're in the right place.

--Finally, I can't be certain but I believe the least expensive gas in town right now is $3.29 per gallon at the Flying J truck stop at said same I-435 and Front Street exit.

Just good luck to you navigating that thing.

Yikes.

Now, keep cool out there today.

Know how to anger a Kansas Citian?

Drive the speed limit on I-435 on the South part of the city.

Or maybe just drive the speed limit.

Worst intersection in the metropolitan area

Could there be a worse, more congested and so, dangerous intersection in the area than the mess that is I-435 West, out South, as it connects to I-35 North and South?

A one-lane exit ramp that comes off 3 or 4 lanes and goes into BOTH the North and South directions of I-35.

When not that many people lived out in Olathe and Gardner and Paola, it was fine but how many years ago was that?

I was out there a week or two ago and it was backed up at least a mile or more.  And I believe it happens daily, Monday through Friday, at minimum.

Finally, with the Kansas State budget the way it is, don't expect a fix any time too soon.  I can't imagine KDoT has money in the budget to tackle what would most surely be a multi-million dollar expansion, that would give more lanes to dump into I-35.

It gets my vote.

And that's why I stay away.

juxtaposition

 

Are we a good-sized, Midwestern city that works?

Driving in to work today, I had to come in from Liberty via 152, then 435 South to 35 South, Southwest Trafficway to the Plaza and on to work out 47th Street to Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, Van Brunt and finally I-70 to Independence.

This gives you an idea of the size of the area--the amount of the city--I covered on my way work. With this much driving experience this morning, I feel I have a pretty good deal idea of the condition of the streets and highways in the area, in spite of not traveling the Kansas side.

And the conclusion for me is that the city of Kansas City still has a lot of work to do in clearing its streets.

The State highway offices did their job, I'd say. All the lanes of 435 and 35 were clear. Naturally, it was when you got in the city that there were--are--issues.

Check this out: Southwest Trafficway was still down to, I'd say, one and a half lanes. This includes the extensions of Madison and Bellview. Naturaly one and a half lanes means, really, one.

To me, considering they are such main business thoroughfares, that's unacceptable.

They were--all of these mentioned streets--just one plow scraping away from being completely clear.

Someone in the street department, either last night or early this morning, should have cleared these for the rush hour this morning, I think, feel and believe.

I'm sure they worked their tails off, so to speak, this weekend, but we still, as a city, weren't ready for the workday and new workweek.

That's unacceptable. That's not how cities are to function and operate.

In their worst cases, the streets weren't safe.

In the best cases, it made getting to work (read: productivity, business and the lifeblood of the city, area and country) less efficient.

On Southwest Trafficway, which I noticed is a declared, official snow route, the cars had remained parked in the street so the crews couldn't clear the streets.

That, too, seems unacceptable.

Again, it's not safe and it should be clear.

47th Street, coming out of the Plaza and going over to Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and Van Brunt, was the same way. Still not cleared.

Between this and the big metal plates left on the streets, instead of truly repairing those same streets, seem to point out consistently that our street department doesn't work really well.

We seem to work, as a city.

But not really well, like we ought.