The Central Avenue Bridge, a major artery connecting Wyandotte County to the West Bottoms, has been severed for five years. And in its absence, delayed construction and local struggles to acquire funding have created travel woes for commuters and cut off Kansas City, Kansas, businesses and neighborhoods from needed foot traffic.
A recent decision by state lawmakers, if approved by the full legislature in the coming weeks, may further delay the inconvenience and other annoyances created by KCK’s numerous shuttered bridges.
Despite the fact that Gov. Laura Kelly late last month announced a $135 million project to repair the long-defunct connection point, legislators voted Thursday to delay millions in infrastructure plans in urban northeast Kansas and to redistribute those funds elsewhere in the state.
And although the legislator who proposed the funding change to the 2026-27 budget said the item was not specifically designed to target Wyandotte County, he pointed to the Kansas City Chiefs’ plans to build a stadium in KCK as a contributing factor.
The Central Avenue Bridge, which connects James Street to the downtown region of Kansas City, Kansas, can be seen in this 2022 Google Street View image.
The Central Avenue Bridge, which connects James Street to the downtown region of Kansas City, Kansas, can be seen in this 2022 Google Street View image.
(Google Street View)
This means it’s possible that repairs to the Central Avenue Bridge and others in KCK could be delayed and lose earmarked funds, even after Kelly’s project announcement — and after local officials have said they’ve been trying to leverage negotiations with the Chiefs and the state to secure the bridge funding.
The proposed funding change came during Thursday’s meeting of the Kansas House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee. During that meeting, committee members voted to allocate between $130 million and $150 million in infrastructure funding that was already set aside for 2028 projects in the metro, likely including Wyandotte, to roadway repairs in some of the state’s rural districts.
Bridge funding part of Chiefs negotiations
Just last week, Wyandotte County leadership said projects to repair the Central Avenue bridge, and two others, were part of ongoing negotiations between Kansas officials and the Kansas City Chiefs as the team prepares to cross state lines into Kansas.
Todd LaSala, an attorney representing the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK, told county commissioners that contributions up for discussion included $135 million for the Central Avenue Bridge; $1.2 million for the Kansas Avenue Bridge; $2 million for the Union Pacific Bridge; and $1.5 million for east-to-west bus line improvements.
Officials for the state, the Chiefs and municipal officials in December revealed plans for a nearly $4 billion project that would include a domed stadium in west KCK and a training facility and new team headquarters in Olathe. Both the Olathe and KCK projects would be surrounded by entertainment districts, Gov. Laura Kelly said during that announcement.