Park capping I-670 gets an official name: South Loop project to honor longtime Republican bridge-builder

Kansas City’s high-profile South Loop Project — a proposed sustainable urban park capping a portion of I-670 — now has a name that pays homage to a leader who played a key role in launching the project: Roy Blunt Luminary Park.

“As a working title, the South Loop Project has served us well,” said Jeff Jones, H&R Block president and CEO and co-chair of the South Loop campaign. “But as we quickly approach groundbreaking, a name that is more inspirational is needed; a name that recognizes the individual whose political leadership has opened so many doors making this project possible; a name that reflects on the timeless, generational legacy of our community that this project represents.”

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, and Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, discuss the South Loop project in 2022. The park will now be named “Roy Blunt Luminary Park” in honor of the senator; photo by Frank Morris, KCUR

The decision to honor Blunt — a former U.S. Senator (2011-2023), U.S. Representative (1997-2001), and Missouri Secretary of State (1985-1993) — was unveiled at the Downtown Council of Kansas City’s annual luncheon Friday at the Kansas City Convention Center.

“There is no better way to pay tribute to the legacy of a true friend and fighter in Kansas City throughout his political career,” added Quinton Lucas, mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. “Roy Blunt continually fought for and secured federal funding that has helped transform Kansas City into the growing economic force we are today.”

Blunt was unable to attend the event Friday. His daughter, Amy Blunt Mosby, attended and Matt Hayes — Blunt’s former state director — accepted the honor on his behalf.

“The determination of Kansas City, Downtown Council, and Port KC to create an extraordinary public space in the middle of downtown is something that I’ve been pleased to be a part of,” Blunt said in a statement. “I was lucky to get to represent Missouri and Kansas City in the U.S. Senate and as Missouri’s Secretary of State. This park will reconnect communities and be another place that helps define Kansas City as one of America’s great cities. It is truly an honor to be associated with this park, and Abby and my family join me in our appreciation.”

Extending over the 5.5-acre stretch of I-670 from Wyandotte Street to Grand Boulevard, Roy Blunt Luminary Park is expected to feature an open green lawn, public art, outdoor seating with shade structures, and could include playgrounds, dog parks, and arts and amphitheater programming, according to organizers.

RELATED: Kansas City is naming its downtown highway park after Sen. Roy Blunt; When will it open?

“Roy Blunt Luminary Park” is displayed in lights at the Downtown Council’s annual luncheon; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Jeff Jones, H&R Block president and CEO and co-chair of the South Loop campaign, speaks during the Downtown Council’s annual luncheon; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

“We would not be at this milestone today without the tireless commitment from Sen. Roy Blunt, who — from the beginning — saw this vision in order to secure the federal funding to help make this possible,” Jones noted. “It will improve the quality of life for residents, promote healthy living and provide a shared gathering space for the entire community.”

“While this decision (to build I-670) decades ago expedited traffic, it eliminated 100 blocks of urban fabric and it literally divided our city,” he added. “Today, we are about to break ground on a historic project that will bridge the past and the present by covering four blocks of the interstate with five and a half acres of an activated park and green space, literally reweaving the urban fabric lost with time.”

Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Council, speaks during the Downtown Council’s annual luncheon at the Kansas City Convention Center; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Roy Blunt Luminary Park is just one of the many new amenities popping up in Kansas City, including the new airport terminal, CPKC Stadium, the extended KC Streetcar line, and the Zhou B Art Center, downtown officials emphasized at Friday’s meeting.

“We are once again participating in a generation Renaissance,” said Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Council. “The next 10 years in Kansas City are going to be more exciting than the last 20. The best is yet to come.”

MADE MOBB owners Vu Radley, Mark Launiu, and Jesse Phouanphet accept an Urban Hero award during the Downtown Council’s annual luncheon; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Also during the luncheon, the Downtown Council presented the Harvey Fried Award to Jerry Fikes (CID supervisor and Art in Loop participant) and the J Philip Kirk Jr Award to Pat Jordan (president of Pat Jordan & Associates and a longtime arts and preservation advocate perhaps best known for leading the revival of the Gem Theatre), plus recognized the 2025 Urban Hero honorees: Janell “KK” Assman (founder and executive director of Care Beyond the Boulevard), MADE MOBB (community-focused small business), Kristin Riott (executive director of Bridging The Gap), Chris Sally (owner of Iconic Development and community advocate), and Octavio “Chapto” Villalobos (KCPD officer at the Westside CAN Center).

Mallory Brown — a worldwide adventure traveler, documentary filmmaker, and global humanitarian — gave the keynote address on the importance of empathy in communities.

“If you can embrace each other with empathy, you can make Kansas City an incredible place to live,” she noted. “Yes, of course, it has great buildings, it has great spaces and has great investments, but it is filled with great people.”