6AM City In-house

From art studios to intersections

KC creating safer streets
12th and Benton Street Art
We’re all in this together. | Photo by KCtoday
Street Smart Design + Build — a KC local design firm — is taking asphalt art to dangerous intersections across the city. It’s part of an effort to reduce traffic fatalities through a method known as traffic calming.

More than half of all fatal or injury-causing car collisions occur at or near intersections. KC has seen 15 pedestrian fatalities in 2022 as of August 4, according to KCTV 5.

Street Smart believes that asphalt art can help minimize these dangers.

About the initiative

The Asphalt Art Initiative, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is intended to calm and beautify the intersection of two busy, high-speed arterials.

The big picture? To minimize speeding + create safer conditions for drivers and pedestrians alike.

The initiative completes tasks like extending curbs along corners of intersections to provide blank canvases for artists, creating shorter crossing distances for pedestrians, and adding median islands to the affected areas.

Broadway Boulevard and Main Street

This is not its first rodeo. In 2020, KC received a $25,000 grant from the Asphalt Art Initiative to enhance the intersection between Broadway Boulevard and Main Street in Westport. (You can see it while visiting spots from our neighborhood guide).

Artists painted four areas with a road-style mural in the middle of the intersection. KC sure hearts a mural.

The area was also supplemented with new crosswalks, neighborhood branded median islands, and left turn lanes.

12th Street and Benton Boulevard

There have been 24 accidents, including four pedestrian crashes, just in the area of 12th Street & Benton Boulevard alone in the last four years.

Enter: the Asphalt Art Initiative.

Back in July 2022, the Kansas City Artists Coalition sought out artists to paint the intersection for the 12th Street and Benton Boulevard project.

Six different local artists brought their unique local art to the intersection. The project was completed during the first week of August 2022.

Have you noticed asphalt art in your neighborhood? On the contrary, is there an area that lacks this street smart initiative? Let us know where you’d like to see the Asphalt Initiative next in KC.
6AM City In-house

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Today
  • Chamber Coffee at the Olathe Fire Department | Thu., Oct. 13 | 9-10:30 a.m. | 1225 S. Hamilton Circle, Olathe, KS | Free | Join up to 100+ attendees at one of the largest weekly networking events in the metro. ☕️
  • Popcorn & Politics - Candidate Forum | Thu., Oct. 13 | 1-3 p.m. | Shawnee Civic Center, 13817 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, KS | Free | Hear from candidates in house districts 17 + 30.
  • ROLE MODEL | Thu., Oct. 13 | 8 p.m. | The Madrid Theatre | $25+ | Jam out to this pop artist’s hit songs “blind” and “forever&more.”
Friday, October 14
  • Autumn Thru the Downtown | Fri., Oct. 14 - Sat., Oct. 15 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | S. 5th St. & Delaware St., Leavenworth, KS | $0+ | Stroll through Leavenworth with 30+ participating businesses and enjoy fall drinks + eats, “Selfie Stations,” and other fall-related activities. 🍁
  • Sip & Swing | Fri., Oct. 14 | 7-10 p.m. | PT’s in the Crossroads, 310 SW Blvd., Kansas City, MO | $5 | Grab a pour + get on the floor at jazz night with one of KC’s best Swing DJs.
  • Cornucopia: KC’s Ultimate Fall Festival Presented by PNC Bank | Fri., Oct. 14 - Sun., Oct. 16 | 5-9 p.m. | Kansas City Power & Light District, Between Baltimore and Grand Blvd. and 12th Street and Truman Road, Kansas City, MO | Free | Cross everything off your fall bucket list at Cornucopia: KC’s Ultimate Fall Festival — enjoy family-friendly activities, live entertainment, food and drink tastings + more.*
Saturday, October 15
Sunday, October 16
  • Chiefs vs. Bills | Sun., Oct. 16 | 3:25 p.m. | Arrowhead Stadium | $350+ | Kansas City faces off against one of the best teams in the AFC. 🏈
Saturday, October 22
  • End Of The World Pub Crawl | Sat., Oct. 22 | 1-5 p.m. | Martini Corner, 400 E. 31st St., Kansas City | $30.00 | Gather members to join your zombie-killing team and take back the streets Kansas City while enjoying this pub crawl through Martini Corner.*

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather
  • 66º | Sunny | 1% chance of rain
Outdoors
  • Construction on Kansas City’s longest east-west bike lane is underway at Truman Road + Holmes Street — near Highway 71 + I-670. This interactive map shows the city plans to construct a path all the way east to Belmont Avenue within a year. We’ll have “I Want to Ride My Bicycle” on repeat.
Sports
  • The first KC Current playoff game may be on the road, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience this historic moment here at home. Bar K — at 501 Berkley Pkwy., KCMO — is hosting the official watch party on Sun., Oct. 16. Along with drink specials, expect Current merch + giveaways. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. ⚽️
Drink
  • Yuengling beer is coming to Kansas City. Sixth-generation Yuengling family members announced the expansion to Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma will happen in early 2023. The popular Pennsylvania brewery is the oldest in America — continuously operating since 1829. 🍻
Holiday
  • Want to skip the spooky and sail right into the holiday season? Legends Outlets announced its special winter programming, including: Legendary Tree Lighting from 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 12; Black Friday festivities from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; and holiday hours.
Edu
  • Class is in session. Students in Kansas City Public Schools or North Kansas City Public Schools can now get an automatic, renewable $1,500 scholarship to UMKC. The money is good each year for five years, and it can be combined with any other award. ✏️
Featured
  • Kansas City nonprofit BoysGrow appeared on the Rachael Ray Show, which highlighted the organization’s positive mission and real-world impact. BoysGrow teaches young men agriculture + entrepreneurship, and the products at the farm get sold to area restaurants. Watch the segment. 🌽 (IN Kansas City)
Watch
  • Remember Strang Park’s reopening (the one we mentioned yesterday)? Another new element of the area is a vibrant bridge mural by local design company Sike Style Industries. Watch a timelapse now, and go in person tomorrow for the grand opening at 2 p.m.
  • Speaking of mural videos, there’s a new wall of art at Fat Matt’s Vortex — 411 N. 6th St., KCK. Artist DINKC posted highlights of the process, along with the final colorful creation. 🎃
Shop
  • Give your weekend barbecue an upgrade with Q39’s award-winning line of sauces, rubs, and spices. The brisket rub is one of our favorites, but we also can’t get enough of the classic barbecue sauce because we are Kansas Citians after all.*
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We asked, you delivered 🍕

Best pizza spots in KC
Minskys Pizza
You must try the garlic cheese toast. Chef’s kiss. | Photo by KCtoday
In honor of National Pizza Month, we asked where to find the best slice in KC — and you gave us plenty of options.

These spots received enough submissions to land themselves in the top five.
  • Milwaukee Delicatessen Company | 101 W. 9th St., Kansas City, MO | Don’t let the name fool you, this deli serves up great ‘za, and had the most submissions from our readers. Taste familiar? The pizza here is from another fan favorite, Pizza 51.
  • Il Lazzarone | 412 Delaware St., Kansas City, MO | We recommend the classic pepperoni pizza, add spicy honey.
  • Pizza Tascio | Multiple locations | New York-style pizza, right here in the heart of the Midwest.
  • Martin City Pizza & Taproom | 410 E. 135th St., Kansas City, MO | Specialty pizzas + locally crafted beer? That’s two points for Martin City.
  • Minsky’s Pizza | Multiple locations | “Gourmet, and going to stay that way” is its slogan for a reason.
THE WRAP

Today’s edition was written by Bella.

Editor’s pick: Y’all showed up for our pizza survey — you rock. I am proud to say that I have tried all five on the list, so I guess you could call me a bit of a pizza pro. Although, I have to include one of my favorites, Providence Pizza in Westport — I recommend trying a slice of the Famous Rick Lang.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Learn about KC’s cost of living here.
Connect with us.

Editorial: Bella Rainey, Travis Meier, Dayten Rose, Josh Kranzberg, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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