KC City Council Approves Five Street Preservation Contracts Totaling Nearly $30 Million

From the City of Kansas City:

July 1, 2021

City Council members on Thursday voted to approve five street preservation contracts totaling nearly $30 million in crack sealing, microsurfacing and resurfacing work across KCMO. The work will start as early as next week and includes over 2,600 street segments and 240 lane miles of resurfacing.

Street maintenance is a top priority for residents and for the administration. This year the street preservation program has several improvements to resurface more streets, raise Kansas City’s pavement rating score and incorporate Council and community feedback into the process:

• More than double financial commitment, from $17M in FY 20-21 to $39M this fiscal year
• A nearly 80% increase in lane miles for resurfacing
• A warranty extension for contract labor from two years to three years
• A focus on repairing subgrade issues to prevent pavement failures
• Dedicated funding for each Council District to determine community priorities for street resurfacing

“For decades, Kansas Citians have had to deal with potholes and poor road conditions. No more. I am proud that Council today approved more than $30 million in new road resurfacing projects, an investment that will double our spending in road repair and resurfacing this summer, saving Kansas Citians thousands at the repair shop and delivering on my pledge to improve basic services,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas. “My thanks to Kansas City’s taxpayers — finally getting what they’ve been asking for — and our hard working road labor crews out rebuilding our neighborhood infrastructure.”

“Street resurfacing and maintenance is a key priority this year as we continue to find ways to improve city services and improve quality of life in many ways across all communities," said City Manager Brian Platt. “Even despite a budget severely restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prioritizing street repair as an area in need of exponential increases in investment.”

“We are thrilled these contracts passed so we can get to work making our streets smoother in all Kansas City neighborhoods,” said Michael Shaw, Public Works Director. “This is a priority for residents, a basic service Public Works provides and we are glad our strategic and intentional approach will bring much needed improvements this year.”

Street are chosen for repair based on many factors, such as street condition, potholes, traffic volume, coordination with utility work and other projects, council and community input, and opportunities for road diets and complete streets.

Residents can view the new 2021-2022 map, see where work is planned and track our progress at KCMO.gov/streetpreservation.

This press release was produced by the City of Kansas City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.