KEARNEY, Mo. — Roughly 15 feet of roadway. That’s all that separates drivers from a smooth trip between Kearney and Excelsior Springs. But the Missouri Department of Transportation has announced they’ll continue to be faced with a 15-mile detour instead.
Missouri Route 92 closed in both directions a couple miles East of Kearney in October for a culvert replacement. That was supposed to take less than three months. In January MODOT said it would reopen by early March. But today there’s still a large gap on the highway.
“It’s been the talk of Kearney. We’ve been trying to figure out exactly what’s going on,” Josh Tipton said.
“I know people are frustrated because they have to do a several mile detour getting over to Excelsior and has a side effect of people living here,” Rich Reed.
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That detour down MO 33 to U.S. 69 and around adds several miles and minutes to your trip. Even the closest local detour we could find was seven minutes.
“It’s just easier if I can go down 92. These backroads have so many potholes and unevenness that tears up trailers and vehicles. It takes time out of your day and fuel,” Tipton said.
“Ninety-two, there are a couple ways to get around it. But it is a pain in the butt,” Robert Naylor said.
It may be even worse for people like Ed Brown living on the east side of the highway that’s closed. That’s because he also lives on the same road just about a mile from the construction where a bridge collapsed in 2022. So he can’t go East on NE 148th St. either.
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So, what happened? MoDOT tells FOX4 when they were digging they hit two different company’s fiber optic lines and had to relocate them.
“It’s just hard to believe that they couldn’t find the fiberoptics. They should have known that they were going to be there. It’s kind of mindboggling its continuing on to be pushed down month by month,” Tipton said.
A MoDOT engineer told FOX4 it’s not uncommon for lines to be shallower than expected. The new goal for the project is early May. By then the nearby collapsed bridge should also be reopen.
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“You really find out how much you use something when it’s closed,” Naylor said.
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