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Southwest Boulevard’s $4 million makeover: Here’s what’s changing

The iconic boulevard will be all but recognizable soon.

Rendering of southwest boulevard kansas city showing updates

Pedestrian safety is the priority.

Rendering by City of Kansas City, Missouri

Less lanes, more crosswalks, and — drum roll, please — more parking.

Those are some of the changes coming to the Southwest Boulevard area — from Broadway Boulevard to 31st Street — with the goal of making it safer for drivers + pedestrians.

Phase one will utilize ~$4 million to update the stretch between Broadway Boulevard and 25th Street by:

  • Flipping four-lane streets into one lane each direction with a center turning lane
  • Adding crosswalks and improving sidewalks
  • Updating traffic signals
  • “Adding lighting and anti-bird netting beneath the I-35 bridge
  • Adding signage + natural landscaping

The city aims to complete this by summer 2026, just in time for the World Cup.

Want to learn more about the proposal and voice your opinion? Attend the next community outreach meeting, hosted by the Westside Neighborhood Association, on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Guadalupe Centers (1015 Avenida Cesar Chavez, KCMO).

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