In the wake of World War II, car ownership surged, and Kansas City developed a reputation as a car-crazy town. So, in 1951, City Manager L.P. Cookingham published a report outlining the framework for a new – and necessary – regional interstate highway system.

Notably absent from the plan was convenient highway access to Brookside, Waldo, and the Country Club neighborhoods south of Brush Creek, all areas with high rates of vehicle ownership and use.

A new Southtown resident questioned the lack of connectivity to the freeway system and wondered why it had been designed that way.

The city's 1951 plan designated the South Midtown Freeway to connect downtown with the rapidly growing communities southeast of the city. But it never came to fruition as intended.

Read the rest of the story at KCHistory.org.