The Future of Blue River Road

Kansas City staff members are currently working on finalizing scope of work for the segment of Blue River Road from Chestnut Drive to Bannister Road in Council District 6. The plan for the first phase of this project is to convert the abandoned section of roadway into an all-purpose, 12-foot-wide trail by recycling the old pavement asphalt in-place to build the trail surface. This process is called full-depth reclamation (FDR) and it involves a large machine that grinds up old pavement and road base into a useable new surface.

Additionally, trailheads would be built at each existing terminus point for vehicle to be able to park and turn around to increase accessibility to the trail. The existing road barriers and mounds would be removed in favor of bollards and lighting would be installed at the trail heads for safety and security.

There is currently $700,000 in budget available for this work. Construction is expected to start in Fall 2026.

Construction of this trail would not prevent a future project to reconstruct the roadway if and when the funding for that work is allocated. In the meantime, the section of trail would open up this area for recreational uses.

Phase 1 Overview

• Walking Trail
• Starting 890 feet south of Bannister and extending to the south side of the gravel parking lot.
• Removal of pavement with an approximate pavement thickness of 10 inches.
• Grading and placement of removed pavement (millings) to serve as the trail base.
• Parking Lot
• Grading and Placement of removed pavement (millings) in the gravel parking lot.
• Adding parking area at southern terminus at Chestnut Drive