http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-851280.mp3
Kansas City, Mo. – Missouri Interstate highway renovators are in midst of a dispute with the Kansas City Council that's heated from simmer to near-boil.
MoDot wants to close I-70's Manchester interchange by 2012. Planners think it slows traffic and I-70 needs another lane. The interstate pinches from three lanes to two at that point. And engineers argue Manchester has outlived usefulness. There was a time it fed drivers to and from the now-closed G-M Leeds Plant and Armco Steel. People who control industries still located along Manchester are furious. Modot District Engineer Beth Wright wanted to know how much extra driving time the change would force .She got a truck driver and--
"we asked him to get in the dump truck and drive from the Manchester interchange to the Forty Highway interchange which would be the new access for many folks."
An extra three to four minutes inconvenience, says Wright. City Council looks at compromise with the state in the coming week while some members are less eager to flex.