KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City is one step closer to creating a new park atop Interstate 670.
Last spring city leaders unveiled plans to create a new five-acre park to be built on I-670, bridging downtown and the Crossroads district.
H&R Block announced on Friday that it will contribute $10 million to the South Loop Link project. The last contribution, paired with the Award of $28.6 million from the Missouri Department of Transportation and a $5 million private commitment from Loews Hotels & Co., got the city about one-fifth of the way to its fundraising goal for the park.
The original cost of the South Loop Link was estimated at $160 million. City officials now estimate the project will cost $200 million to complete.
Coverage on I-670 will extend from Wyandotte Street to Grand Boulevard and may feature a variety of amenities including playgrounds, dog parks and amphitheater space.
“It is healing the sore created by the gluch I-670; reduce air and noise pollution, water pollution. It is reconnecting two neighborhoods and communities that have been torn apart by the construction of I-670. With this project, we are fundamentally reweaving the urban fabric,” said Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of Downtown Council.
The city will host a town hall meeting for the South Loop Link project on Tuesday, March 7 at the Kirk Family YMCA at 222 W 11th St. No completion date has been announced for the new park, but the project team hopes to open the South Loop ring ahead of the 2026 World Cup.