South Kansas City drivers, get ready to dodge cones for a while. MoDOT is preparing a major rebuild of roughly 1.4 miles of Bannister Road between State Line Road and Holmes Road starting in spring 2027, and the agency says the work could stretch to about two years. The worst stretch of pavement will be rebuilt all the way down to the foundation, with fresh resurfacing planned on the portion that runs east to I-435. Motorists, delivery fleets and nearby businesses can expect phased lane shifts and temporary detours once construction ramps up.
MoDOT timeline and public meeting
According to MoDOT, the Bannister Road New Pavement Construction project will rebuild Bannister Road (MO W) from State Line Road to Holmes Road and resurface the stretch from Holmes to I-435. The agency lists a December 2026 letting, a spring 2027 construction start, and estimates the work could take up to about two years. Traffic will be shifted in phases rather than shut down completely, but it will not be a quick in-and-out job.
MoDOT is hosting an open-house style public meeting next Tuesday, July 28, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Colonial Presbyterian Church, 9500 Wornall Road. People can drop in, review displays, ask questions one-on-one with staff and leave written comments about what worries them most, from driveway access to turning movements.
Officials urge public input
Ben McCabe, MoDOT's Kansas City district project manager, told the Kansas City Star he hopes residents, business owners and commuters show up and speak up about detours and access during the work. The Kansas City Star also reported that a contractor would be selected in spring 2027, a step that lines up closely but not perfectly with MoDOT's own letting schedule.
Traffic, intersections and transit
Phased construction is expected to squeeze traffic down to one lane in each direction along parts of West Bannister Road, with crews likely to tackle some intersection work on weekends to avoid the worst weekday backups. Even with that strategy, regulars on Bannister should brace for slowdowns.
A separate project to replace the U.S. 71 bridges over Bannister could stack more delays on top if the timelines overlap, according to MoDOT. Transit is already adjusting around nearby bridge construction. RideKC says Troost MAX service has been rerouted while replacement work continues, a preview of the kind of changes riders could see again when Bannister itself goes under the knife.
Neighbor reaction and travel tips
Longtime Southland drivers are torn between relief and dread. Many welcome long-awaited repairs, but they are under no illusions that a full rebuild will be painless. On r/KansasCity, locals have vented about the craters between Wornall and State Line and traded detour tips for delivery drivers and commuters, with plenty of firsthand gripes about how rough the corridor has become.
Local reporting and transit notices are already nudging drivers to pad their travel time and consider I-435 or 85th Street as alternate routes when major work kicks in. KCTV5 has reported on the U.S. 71 and Bannister Road work and its coverage notes alternate routes and timing tips for drivers.
MoDOT's project page describes an in-person open house and notes it will receive public feedback. With construction slated to begin in spring 2027, drivers should expect lane shifts, occasional weekend intersection closures and longer travel times through the Bannister corridor as the overhaul moves forward.
