New wetlands to make riverfront less scary

KC River Fest 2009 begins officially tomorrow with a 3 p.m. set by June Bug and the Porch Lights. At 10:30 a.m., the Port Authority of Kansas City is offering 200 free tickets to the event at a ribbon-cutting for the new Riverfront Wetlands Ecosystem Restoration.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed the restoration. The project is accessible from the Town of Kansas Pedestrian Bridge. It’s located just to the west of the Grand Avenue viaduct.

The wetland isn’t much to look at now. (I took a picture yesterday.) But with each new shrub and mile of path, the riverfront becomes something more than a place for hobos to drink themselves blind. This is progress.