road conditions

Many of Kansas City's four-lane roads are too fast and too empty. The city plans to slim down many of its most dangerous stretches, like Troost Avenue, 39th Street and Independence Avenue, to curb vehicle and pedestrian accidents.

Kansas City residents can ask the city to install street modifications to help with dangerous intersections or speeding cars. Traffic engineers have wide discretion to approve or reject requests, but City Council has the final say.

Most of Kansas City’s four-lane roads are too fast and too empty. The Kansas City Council decided to slim down a batch of 28 roads the next time they’re repaved to make them safer.

Fall is mating season for deer, which often causes them to cross busy streets and stand in roads. "One wreck can alter numerous lives, especially if you're not prepared, or not ready, or if you're just flat not paying attention," notes one county sheriff.

A $10 million federal grant will fund sidewalk and bus stop improvements, curb extensions, lighting and other safety improvements to a 1.86 mile stretch of Prospect Avenue, between Linwood and Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevards

Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard is one of Kansas City’s top 10 most dangerous streets. A project to change the road aims to reduce crashes, make pedestrians safer, and connect two of the city’s longest bike trails. It’s just now getting started after more than a year of delays.

Kansas City is one of the deadliest major cities for pedestrians. And a quarter of the traffic deaths over the last few years happened on just a few streets, which have become wider and faster than necessary over the decades. How did Kansas City get this way, and how is the city now working to make its streets less dangerous?

Four-lane roads in Kansas City are a relic of urban sprawl in the 20th century. But these days they’re emptier than ever, which traffic experts say encourages dangerous driving. Now, City Hall is putting these deadly avenues on "road diets."

Dangerous car crashes are about seven times less likely to happen at roundabouts than at traffic lights. But some of the city’s deadliest intersections are too busy for a roundabout.

Nearly 200 people died in Kansas City car crashes in 2022 and 2023. The numbers suggest that high speeds and intersections, particularly on Truman Road, pose the greatest danger.

Kansas City received more than 600 pothole reports after the cold snap cut up roads. Crews are trying to patch them up quickly, but the craters are already taking out tires and suspensions. Plus: Why a Kansas surgeon is helping wounded soldiers in Ukraine.

The city has received 600 reports to 311 about potholes in just the last week. City Manager Brian Platt says city crews can fill hundreds of potholes per week, but weather and poor road conditions mean many more are taking out tires and breaking suspensions.