Kearney will fund Lions Park pedestrian crossing included in MoDOT 2026 Route 33 overlay

The Kearney Board of Aldermen on Sept. 2 approved an ordinance authorizing the public works director to enter into a cost‑apportionment agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to construct a pedestrian crossing at Lions Park.Shelley Daniel, public works director, told the board the agreement would allow MoDOT to include the Lions Park crossing in its planned Route 33 overlay contract scheduled for 2026. “Under the terms of the agreement, the city will be solely responsible for all costs of the pedestrian improvement,” Daniel said. She added the city will maintain bid concurrence authority to ensure the work aligns with the city's budgeted amount.The crossing is the final remaining improvement from a previously considered pathways and crossings project; Daniel said if the crossing is built under MoDOT’s overlay contract, it will complete outstanding items from that prior effort.The ordinance passed on first and second reading during the meeting with a unanimous vote by the aldermen. The agreement does not create a MoDOT‑funded liability; according to the public works director, the city will pay construction costs as specified in the cost‑apportionment agreement.