KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There are no new delays on improvements at 75th Street and Wornall Avenue, according to the Waldo Area Business Association.
But weather has already delayed the project twice.
Shawn Anderson, Executive Director, Waldo Area Business Association The north-south parking garage on the north side of 75th Street, where Waldo Pizza is located, was scheduled to be completed in April.
The north side is complete. City spokeswoman Shelley Honeycutt said the south side parking lot will be paved by the end of June. The sidewalk facing the storefront where the pizza restaurant is located will be completed after the south side parking lot is finished. The sidewalk is expected to be finished by July.
“We lost about 20 percent, probably upwards of 25 percent sales,” Waldo Pizza general manager Aaron Canaczar said in an interview with FOX 4 on Thursday. “We had to cut staff because we didn’t need them. [by] Probably around 30%.”
“A lot of people are stressed,” he continued when asked how he is doing. “A lot of our customers are stressed after they come in, so we’re just trying to be patient.”
The regular southbound lanes of Wornall Street are currently under construction from 73rd Terrace to 75th Street. During this time, Wornall Street is open with one lane in each direction, as all northbound and southbound traffic will use the two regular northbound lanes there. The regular southbound lanes were scheduled to be completed in May, Anderson said.
Honeycutt said Wornall, from 73rd Terrace to 75th Street, is expected to be completed by the end of July, but another business owner FOX4 spoke with in the area where construction is currently underway said he’s felt the impacts.
“It’s a big hit, it means less revenue,” Becky Hamrick, owner of Bobby Baker’s Lounge, said in an interview with FOX4 on Thursday.
Hamrick said he’s trying to hang on.
“My employees are really tired at night because it’s quiet,” she continued. “They have mouths to feed and bills to pay.”
Hamrick says sales are down about 40 percent during that time. He attended an emergency meeting Thursday morning with city staff, construction crews and Anderson’s group. Anderson said the gravel already laid passed an initial roll test, but another roll test needs to be done the week of Sunday, June 2, to ensure the road infrastructure is in good condition.
“I think we can expect further delays due to the nature of a project of this magnitude,” Anderson said in a separate interview Thursday with FOX 4. “We didn’t get any insight today that we should expect delays at this point, but we’re watching with bated breath next week to make sure everything stays on schedule.”
“The project team and 6th District Council members have worked consistently with the Waldo Area Business Association, providing construction briefs to set expectations leading up to the project and updates as construction progresses,” Honeycutt said.
The construction project has four phases in total, and the finish date has never changed, she added, with completion expected in fall 2025. For more information on this project, click here..
