South Loop Link - Blunt Luminary Park
A project to cap four blocks of Interstate 670 in downtown Kansas City - from Wyandotte Street to Grand Boulevard - turning the highway into a tunnel and building a roughly 5.5-acre park on top, connecting downtown to the Crossroads Arts District. Total project cost has been reported between $217M (2024) and $315M (2026) as the scope and cost estimate evolved; this is exactly the kind of figure drift Scope is built to show rather than silently update.
Funding Stack
| Source | Amount | Mechanism | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri DOT cost-share grantKansas City Star, Dec. 2024 - awarded to help repair aging I-670 infrastructure alongside the cap | $31.4M | State DOT cost-share program | Awarded |
| Federal, state, local & private funds raised to dateKansas City Star reporting - "about $110M on hand" by Aug. 2024; "at least $141M raised" by Dec. 2024 | $110M–$141M | Mixed sources, ongoing fundraising | Raised |
| TIFIA federal loanKansas City Star - city sought up to $65M via the U.S. DOT's Build America Bureau; City Council Ordinance No. 240602 authorized the application | Up to $65M ⚠ Not confirmed closed |
TIFIA credit assistance | Pending / status unclear |
| Reconnecting Communities federal grantKansas City Star - $75M application "fell through" in March; separately, a $25M federal grant was missed as of the Aug. 2026 Kansas City Business Journal report | $0 ⚠ Applications unsuccessful |
Federal discretionary grant (declined) | Not awarded |
| City special obligation bondsKansas City Business Journal, Aug. 13, 2026 - City Council "may consider another tranche" to enable construction to start | Amount TBD ⚠ Proposed, not yet approved |
Municipal special obligation bonds | Proposed |
This is a project where the funding stack itself is the story: two federal grant applications have not succeeded, a federal loan's status is unconfirmed in the most recent reporting, and the city is now weighing bonds to bridge the remaining gap on a project whose total cost estimate has grown by roughly $100M since 2024.
Project Team
- Richard Alvarez senior civil engineer, then at J.E. Dunn Construction
- J.E. Dunn Construction pre-construction contract
- Clarkson Construction pre-construction contract
Approval & Funding Timeline
- 2023 (approx.)Project announced at an estimated $217MKansas City Star
- 2024 (spring)$75M federal "Reconnecting Communities" grant application unsuccessfulKansas City Star
- 2024 (summer)City Council finance committee recommends pursuing up to $65M TIFIA federal loan (Ordinance No. 240602)Kansas City Legistar, File #240602
- 2024-08~$110M raised to date across public and private sourcesKansas City Star
- 2024-12MoDOT awards $31.4M cost-share grant; City Council approves pre-construction contracts with JE Dunn and Clarkson Construction; at least $141M raised to dateKansas City Star
- 2026-08Reported as the $315M "Blunt Luminary Park"; missed a separate $25M federal grant; City Council may consider special obligation bonds to enable construction to beginKansas City Business Journal, Aug. 13, 2026
Litigation & Legal Filings
No litigation found in public reporting as of this preview.
Developer Renderings
Rendering
Rendering
Site
Rendering
Documents Uploaded by the Project Team
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Sample statement · illustrative only
If claimed, would be submitted by project team, not verified by Plat Street
"We remain confident the South Loop will get built. The city is actively working through several financing paths to close the remaining gap and keep the project on track." - Illustrative only, not an actual statement from the City of Kansas City.
Trade Partners
Firms and professionals whose work is not named on a public record but have provided other proof of involvement. Each has a directory page.
- Urban Roots Landscaping landscape contractor