City Of Kansas City: Improved Streets By Upgrading Our Standards

Press release from the City of Kansas City:

08/19/2021 4:22 PM

NEWS RELEASE Smoother streets are on the way for Kansas City drivers following the City Council vote Thursday to adopt stricter street excavation standards. The new rules require utilities to make more extensive repairs to our streets after they finish underground work, as well as create better coordination between the City and any utility company cutting into the street. “Too often, the City spends time, resources, and manpower on resurfacing a street in our city, only to have that same street torn up days later for pre-scheduled utility work,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas. “It’s frustrating. It’s wasteful. It’s expensive. Today’s action means we will no longer see our streets torn up, often after resurfacing, without full lane replacements — avoiding potholes and road decay in the future. Terribly patched streets become terrible Kansas City roads. We’ve been dealing with this for generations; I’m glad to be pushing with my colleagues for change and for this long overdue pledge to become reality.” Specifically, the policy requires: Improved coordination among city staff and utility companies, including an annual update for capital improvements and shared online mapping for all projects We expect residents to see many benefits such as fewer potholes and longer pavement lifespan. As we improve coordination, there will be fewer utility conflicts, so roads won’t be cut into again after they’ve just been repaved. And, we expect to generate cost savings that will go back into the street resurfacing program. “This new policy will improve coordination and create a higher level of accountability over our utility companies that will lead to smoother streets and more efficient maintenance of our infrastructure," said City Manager Brian Platt. "This is yet another way we are prioritizing investment, policy and progress in basic services like street maintenance." “This effort has been in the works for a long time,” said Director of Public Works, Michael Shaw. “Our new street excavation policy aims to improve coordination with utility companies, update permit fees for digging in our streets and require a higher standard of repair after underground utility work is complete. We are grateful for the partnership, compromise and understanding of the various utility companies to improve the quality of our streets.”
Learn more about KCMO’s Utility Coordination efforts at KCMO.gov.

Use the street closure map.

Media questions can be directed to Maggie Green, Media Relations Manager, at 816-379-6562.

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