New Bridge Links Past Tragedy To Present Progress

In April 2004, hundreds of petitions were circulated around the Park Hill community demanding action from public officials to expedite plans to make Barry Road - one of the most heavily traveled roads in the Northland - safer. The outcry was in response to a car accident which claimed the lives Park Hill students Darren Floyd and Brandon McPherson on the narrow Barry Bridge that passes over Rush Creek just north of Weatherby Lake. Ten thousand signatures were eventually collected as a group of concerned citizens formed the Coalition to Fix Barry Road and built renewed support for the long overdue improvements.

Public meetings and press conferences were held. Plans, funds, and timetables were discussed. I wish I could say it was a perfect example of government realizing a problem and swiftly implementing a solution, but I can’t. Congressman Sam Graves visited the site of the fatal accident in the summer of 2004, but no federal involvement ever took place.

Years passed with only delays.

During the 2007 Kansas City Mayoral campaign, the Coalition sponsored one of the first forums where candidates shared their ideas for improving roads, and not just at the site of the Barry Bridge, but in Kansas City as a whole. The candidate who received one of the highest ratings at that forum, Mark Funkhouser, went on to be elected KC Mayor in March 2007. It wasn’t until August 2008 when the bridge was deemed too dangerous to carry 24,000 vehicles a day - 49 of which were school buses - and was closed. With cameras rolling that day, Funkhouser promised progress by telling the crowd that if the city could build a downtown arena in under a year, he didn’t see why they couldn’t build a single bridge. With Kansas City’s jurisdiction including the bridge and the road leading to it from the east, Platte County was responsible for the greater portion of the road going west. While officials from both sides jumped at every opportunity to support the project, they were just as quick to blame other factors for the numerous delays. Both were significantly delayed from original estimates. In the meantime, the bridge sat closed for two years with heavy traffic loads re-routed through nearby neighborhoods.

This story has a good ending though.

Despite pandering politicians and bureaucratic obstacles, dedicated spirits kept pushing for progress. This month, the bridge was finally opened to through traffic for the first time in over two years, more than six years after the initial outcry. Although the full project won’t be complete until 2012, the new bridge serves as a symbol of the tragedy and struggles of the past, but also the widespread good nature that can result from committed citizen engagement. The bridge opening was especially significant for two sets of parents - Britt and Denise McPherson along with Chris and Julie Floyd, parents of Brandon and Darren, the two Park Hill students killed on the narrow road in 2004.

"It was a bittersweet moment for family and friends of Brandon and Darren as the last barrier was removed and a school bus rumbled over Rush Creek on the new section of Barry Road. The three lanes that have replaced the narrow old country road are wider and safer, and the ultimate goal of the families--to assure that others would not have to suffer the tragic loss of loved ones on a dangerous stretch of roadway that had claimed 17 lives in 20 years--was finally achieved,” Coalition to Fix Barry Road spokesperson Lynn Hinkle said.

"The moment was also a tribute to the many people who worked so diligently and persevered in the face of numerous obstacles. As we travel this stretch of new roadway, we share a deep sense of gratitude for the selfless efforts of the McPherson and Floyd families who rose above their personal tragedy to help protect our community's children in the future.”