Thursday, October 28, 2004

KANSAS CITY, MO - U.S. Senator Kit Bond joined federal officials, local leaders and citizens today to celebrate the opening of Prospect Bridge over Brush Creek, the culmination of a years’ long effort to build a new bridge, reduce flooding and enhance economic development. Bond stressed the importance of the partnerships between federal and local entities in seeing the project through from vision to completion.

“It has taken all of us working together to make this happen,” Bond said. “Prospect Bridge and Brush Creek redevelopment is about a flood-free future: it is about jobs, safety and a better quality of life for residents of Kansas City.”

Bond also encouraged the audience to be mindful of the ongoing importance of the Army Corps of Engineers’ mission in preventing and mitigating flood damage. The Corps’ mission is now under attack by Washington-based anti-development groups and upstream Missouri River interests.

“Prospect Bridge is an important example of how local citizens, Kansas City officials and the federal government can work together on big ideas that are meaningful,” Bond said. “To be successful, we must always begin with local initiative, leadership and cooperation, but we need the Corps to remain a viable and active partner to close the deal.”

The project is a key component of the redevelopment of the Brush Creek Corridor, long prone to devastating flooding. For nearly two decades Bond has helped secure federal resources to provide flood control and enhance economic development throughout the corridor.

Bond has long been a strong proponent of economic growth and job creation in Kansas City. He worked to shepherd the Internal Revenue Service Center project, widely recognized as the largest economic development project in Kansas City history, through the White House and Congress. The IRS Service Center project will renovate the historic Main Post Office and construct a new postal facility in Union Station, consolidating seven locations in the Kansas City and 6,000 IRS workers in the new facilities.

Further, Bond recently announced $800,000 in low-interest loans for three Kansas City community groups to implement important revitalization projects for the urban core. These loans were made possible by $2.5 million in federal funds secured by Bond from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2003.