KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the Big 12 Tournament coming up with week, you might think the downtown road closures won’t start until Wednesday when games begin, but you’d be wrong.
Some streets around the Sprint Center are already closed, and even more will be added to the list over the next few days.
Both the Men’s and Women’s Big 12 Tournaments are being held in Kansas City this year, and city officials are already getting ready for in the influx of people and traffic.
Starting Monday morning, Grand Boulevard has been closed between 13th Street and Truman Road. Likewise, 14th Street between Walnut Street and Grand Boulevard is also now closed to traffic.
Walnut Street, between 13th Street and Truman Road, closed Monday evening, and Truman Road from Oak Street to Walnut Street (including the Grand Boulevard Bridge) is now down to one lane.
And there are more road closures planned as we get closer to the start of the tournament.
On Tuesday morning, 14th Street will close between Main and Walnut streets, and Oak Street between 13th Terrace and Truman Road North Drive will be forced down to two lanes starting midday Wednesday.
Now you’re probably wondering when all these roads will be reopen.
Grand Boulevard, 14th Street from Walnut to Grand, Walnut Street and Truman Road are all back to normal at 6 a.m. Sunday; Oak Street and 14th Street from Main to Walnut reopen at midnight Sunday.
To make things just a little more complicated, the Big 12 5K is also planned for Saturday morning. That means there will be more short-term road closures from the Sprint Center all the way to the 18th and Vine District.
You can find the course map, street closures and more details here.
