Green Infrastructure Project – Central Industrial District / West Bottoms

Going from Gray to Green to Keep it Clean in the Historic West Bottoms

Kissick implemented a combination of green infrastructure and traditional gray solutions to help the city address flooding and stormwater issues in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City, Missouri. The project began with construction of a new sanitary sewer pipe that allows separation from stormwater runoff. At two locations, above-ground systems help to control the amount of stormwater that enters the underground pipes by mimicking the natural groundwater system.

A gravel infiltration basin and cisterns were installed below the I-70 “Lewis & Clark Viaduct,” one of two Kissick project locations in the West Bottoms.

The more visible location is the “I-670 Green Plaza” and the adjacent “Liberty Street Lot Bio Infiltration Basin.” The Green Plaza sits beneath the I-670 bridge at Hickory Street and connects to an elevated boardwalk through a landscaped Bioswale extending over 5+ acres to the south. Rainwater flowing into the area from the south and west is directed into the large river-like bioswale planted with native plants, shrubs and trees, and crossed with energy dissipating terraces.