By Suze Parker, Contributing Author
The north side of Kansas City, Mo., is home to a dense transportation hub where highways, rail lines, a downtown airport and the Missouri River barge traffic converge. This complex network plays a critical role in moving people and goods throughout the region.
Spanning this vital corridor, the new John Jordan ‘Buck’ O’Neil Memorial Bridge carries U.S. Highway 169 over the Missouri River and serves as a central gateway to downtown Kansas City. More than just a crossing, the bridge enhances mobility, improves safety and strengthens the link between the city’s core and its growing northern communities.
The bridge is named in honor of the former Kansas City Monarchs’ first baseman and manager who later became the first Black coach in Major League Baseball. O’Neil was a longtime scout for the Kansas City Royals and was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The new bridge replaces the previous structure, which opened in 1956 and was nearing the end of its projected lifespan. Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the bridge’s owner, partnered with the city of Kansas City, Mo., to construct a low-maintenance bridge that would provide a century of service.
A key goal was to eliminate concerns with the old bridge, including narrow shoulders, no pedestrian access and a substandard exit to the busy downtown airport at the north end of the bridge. Design began in early 2021 and construction started in July 2021.
Managing Project Complexity
As part of the joint venture of Massman Construction and Clarkson Construction, HNTB served as the design-build project’s lead designer.
“The Buck O’Neil Bridge is the centerpiece of the project, but this was more than just a bridge replacement,” said HNTB project manager Marc Whitmore. “The constrained space and the needs of numerous stakeholders — utility owners, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the river and its adjacent levees — made this one of the most complex projects MoDOT has ever undertaken in the Kansas City area.”
The project entailed not only the design and construction of the two new long-span bridges, but also a new bicycle/pedestrian walkway, modified access to the north end of the airport and eight other bridges, including new flyover structures that provide direct access to and from Interstate 35 across the river into downtown Kansas City.
Purposeful Design
The previous steel truss bridge featured three arched main spans, but FAA height restrictions limited the new design’s vertical elements. As a result, the team developed a streamlined plate girder structure that balances efficiency, cost-effectiveness and long-term durability.
The twin bridges each feature a 1,200-foot steel unit with a 455-foot main navigation span. The bridges are founded on 11-foot-diameter, 100-foot-deep drilled shafts designed to resist vessel collision. This approach ensured structural integrity and safety, addressing the challenges posed by the Missouri River’s navigational demands and its ever-changing water level.
On the north end of the bridge, the design team reconfigured what had been a sharply curved left-hand exit into the downtown airport that had caused numerous accidents over the years. While the exit remained on the left in the new design, the team modified the interchange, incorporating a longer deceleration lane and new signage to provide better, safer access to the airport. The design solution, which also avoided impacting a railroad that runs adjacent to U.S. 169, significantly reduced project cost and risk.
The project introduced new flyover ramps that provide direct access from I-35 to U.S. 169 and dedicated lanes to downtown Kansas City, eliminating the previous arrangement, which required drivers to exit I-35 and navigate through two traffic signals before they were able to cross the bridge. The new ramps removed thousands of vehicles from local intersections and reduced drivers’ commutes by approximately five minutes during peak travel hours.
The northbound bridge features a dedicated, barrier-separated pedestrian and bicycle lane, complete with a midspan scenic overlook. Equipped with benches and murals celebrating O’Neil’s legacy, the overlook offers a unique space for pedestrians and cyclists to reflect on his contributions to baseball while enjoying panoramic river views. The lane also is lined with aesthetic, LED color lighting that adds to the Kansas City skyline and highlights the new river bridge.
On the south side of the bridge, the pedestrian/bike lane ties into the area’s Riverfront Heritage Trail system. Booming development on the northern riverfront makes the bridge an increasingly important, multimodal conduit for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians, and there are long-term plans to connect the bridge’s trail to north-side paths as development continues.
A core element of this project was an urban design plan that blends with and enhances the neighborhood’s urban character and the quality of life. The design included realigning city streets to create more direct routes through the River Market neighborhood for freight and local traffic. It supports connectivity and visual character while strengthening public resources, amenities and parks.
The urban design strategies, organized around the theme of “building connections,” offered local artists the opportunity to create semipermanent artwork on a large retaining wall located beneath the Buck O’Neil Bridge. The art project, designed to showcase the creativity and vibrancy of Kansas City’s arts community, reflects the area’s natural and cultural values and continues the tradition of public art in the River Market neighborhood.
Mobility During Construction
Throughout the years of construction, the Buck O’Neil Bridge remained a key conduit for residents and tourists accessing downtown Kansas City. The project’s access goals were straightforward: prepare for extra traffic and keep it moving. The project’s ability to maintain steady traffic flow was put to the test when Kansas City hosted the 2023 NFL Draft, Chiefs playoff games and other major events during construction.
To achieve that goal, the team fully constructed the new southbound span while traffic continued unimpeded on the old bridge. Once the southbound bridge was completed, northbound traffic moved to the new bridge. Southbound traffic shifted to existing roadways, ensuring that motorists could continue to navigate without interruption. The old bridge was then demolished.
Rather than opening and closing access multiple times, the team’s phased approach involved completing multiple work items under one continuous closure for a given area. This approach enhanced construction productivity, as well as traffic and worker safety, while minimizing traffic switches and using detours proven to align with driver expectations.
Project Success
Open since December, the new Buck O’Neil Bridge carries about 50,000 vehicles per day. The new design greatly improves mobility, system performance and safety, while enhancing the River Market’s importance to metropolitan Kansas City.
“Delivered on time and on budget with minimal disruption, the Buck O’Neil Bridge exemplifies the power of a well-coordinated design-build approach — setting a benchmark for future infrastructure projects in Kansas City,” Whitmore said. “Our project team knows design-build and already had trusted relationships in place. Working closely with MoDOT and numerous stakeholders — and having the right team from day one — allowed us to deliver a modernized bridge that strengthens regional connectivity and supports future growth.” RB
Suze Parker is a public relations consultant who frequently writes about roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects.
