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www.kcicon.com
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Dear Friends,
Welcome to the final edition of the kcICON Quarterly e-Newsletter. To many, the project seemed "finished" back in December 2010 when we opened all ramps and lanes of Interstate 29/35 to traffic - on-budget and six-months ahead of schedule. However, our project team has remained hard at work completing the finishing touches, and we still have one more "WOW" to deliver: the Christopher S. Bond Bridge's signature, multi-colored LED lighting system. The bridge's patriotic lighting package will be turned on July 3 at KCRiverFest 2011 in Berkley Riverfront Park, against the back-drop of Kansas City's largest fireworks display.
What better way to thank the people of Kansas City for enduring a three-year road project in the heart of our city than to light up the Bond Bridge for the thousands of festival-goers gathered in the park to celebrate Independence Day?! It will truly be an amazing event!
On behalf of our project team, thank you for your continued interest, your feedback, and most of all, your patience. I hope to see you at KCRiverFest!
Brian Kidwell, P.E.
MoDOT's kcICON Project Director |
 Bond Bridge to 'Light Up' at KCRiverFest | | |
Be among the first to experience the debut of the Bond Bridge's signature light show! We hope you and your family and friends will gather in Berkley Park on Sunday, July 3, to witness the Bond Bridge's red, white and blue patriotic LED lighting package with the event's fireworks spectacular.
The signature lighting elements that are truly unique to the Bond Bridge reside on its edge girders - the horizontal beams just underneath the bridge deck. Here, a series of interconnected color-changing panels (106 in toal) will come to life with a patriotic display of color across the span of the bridge. This LED lighting system can display thousands of colors in a variety of patterns. For more information about KCRiverFest, visit www.kcriverfest.com.
 | | Fireworks light up the sky over the Missouri River at KCRiverFest 2010. |
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| Paseo Bridge is Almost Down | | |
Six thousand tons of materials are being recycled
Demolition of the Interstate 29/35 Paseo Bridge over the Missouri River is nearly complete and will conclude shortly after the swollen river recedes to its normal levels. Located within six feet of the new Christopher S. Bond Bridge, the contractor is systematically taking the Paseo Bridge apart in the reverse order in which it was originally constructed.
"Self-anchored suspension bridges are rare, and we don't know of any other bridge type like it torn down so close to a new bridge," said kcICON Project Director Brian Kidwell. "That's why Paseo Corridor Constructors is methodically and cautiously taking it down."
Paseo Bridge demolition began shortly after it was retired from service November 19, 2010. The bulk of the bridge - approximately 6,000 tons of materials - is being recycled. Additional challenges to removing the bridge include working within the Missouri River's active navigational channel against surging and elevated water levels, and environmental considerations.
Constructed between 1952 and 1954, the Paseo Bridge first opened to traffic in August 1954 and became a Kansas City landmark. Commissioned by Clay and Jackson Counties and designed by HNTB, it was the longest self-anchored suspension bridge in North America.
"The Paseo Bridge was state-of-the-art in the 1950's, but its unique design prevented us from adding more lanes to meet today's traffic needs," said Kidwell. The Interstate 29/35 corridor is now used by over 102,000 vehicles per day, and it is the most heavily traveled Missouri River crossing in the Kansas City region.
The Paseo Bridge was closed for 10 days in January 2003 for emergency repairs and three months in the summer of 2005 for planned rehabilitation. Massman Construction Co. and Clarkson Construction Company - two of the Kansas City-based companies that built portions of the Paseo Bridge Project in the early 1950's - teamed with Kiewit to form Paseo Corridor Constructors, the joint venture design-build team that constructed the new, signature Christopher S. Bond Bridge. The Bond Bridge was designed by Parsons.
Additional Paseo Bridge demolition information is available on the project's Web site: www.kcicon.com. |
| kcICON Project Nears Completion | | |
The $245 million Interstate 29/35 Connections "kcICON" Project included the widening of four miles of highway from four to six lanes between Route 210/Armour Road and Oak Street located in the northeast corner of the downtown Kansas City, Mo. freeway loop. Additionally, crews built a landmark, cable-stayed river bridge; reconstructed five interchanges (18 ramps); erected 12 land bridges (seven new and five rehabilitated); and constructed 10,767 feet of retaining walls and 3,640 feet of sound walls. Major construction began April 22, 2008 and was finished on December 18, 2010 when all interstate lanes and ramps were opened on budget and six months ahead of schedule.
 | | Latest aerial view of the project taken this month. |
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