Armour Road is the main commercial street in North Kansas City, running through the historic downtown. It was also a street that had a history of crashes and acted as a barrier to walking and biking in the city. The Armour Road Complete Street Plan, managed by WSP USA, was designed to facilitate a safer and more inviting environment for all users, to spur economic development, and to beautify the corridor.
The planning project included a robust public involvement campaign using innovative techniques including holding the final public meeting in a “pop-up” parklet and a protected bike lane demonstration utilizing temporary marking materials, potted plants and delineators. As a result of the successful planning project and public involvement, there was significant public and political momentum to move forward with implementation. WSP took the conceptual layout from the plan to full construction documents. Construction included repurposing vehicle lanes to make space for a protected bike lane along the length of the corridor, pedestrian crossing improvements, landscaping and streetscaping elements.
A follow-up study found that the complete street improvements led to a significant reduction in traffic crashes and travel time and a significant increase in walking and biking on the street.
