KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) announced on Monday that Southbound U.S. Highway 169 (SB U.S. 169) will open on the Buck O'Neil Bridge Wednesday morning after almost two years of construction and road closures. The bridge is one of the last parts of the large project providing drivers with a direct southbound route over the Missouri River, which has never been accessible before. Cars fill in before Independence drive-in permanently closes “So if you're a local commuter trying to get to downtown Kansas City, you're going to see that restoration,” said Buck O’Neil Bridge Project Director James Pflum. “You're going to have a smoother ride, better bridge, better striping, better signage. If you're a regional commuter going from southbound 169 to I-35, that direct connection is going to make travel times a lot shorter.” Specifically, the new bridge will connect Interstate 35 to U.S. 169, dedicate lanes to downtown Kansas City, provide pedestrians with walking and bike lanes, make significant improvements to the downtown airport route, and give drivers and pedestrians a scenic overlook with benches and murals. “Those that travel regionally will be able to go directly from 169 to I-35 and not have to go through the stoplight and take that ramp on anymore,” Pflum said. Drivers have not been able to drive on SB U.S. 169 since February 2023, but it will officially open at 6 a.m. Wednesday. FOX4 talked with drivers Monday about SB U.S. 169 opening to traffic. “Oh my goodness, yes, my usual downtown commute that is five minutes is now 15, so very, very excited,” one driver said. “It’ll make it faster to get home,” another driver told FOX4. Pedestrian access will not open until December 2024. “For pedestrians, the shared-use path will also be opening over the next couple of weeks. So after four years of a lot of hard work and a lot of things that our contractor has had to work through, we are now at that point where a lot of things are going to start changing really for the improvement of Kansas City,” Pflum explained. Ongoing closures through Friday, Nov. 22 3rd Street at 4th Street -- Closed 3rd Street at Woodswether Road -- Closed MoDOT KC construction project to repair to barrier wall will be taking place on SB U.S. 169 from the on-ramp at Richards Road to the beginning of the Buck O’Neil Bridge. This work will leave a half-mile of a lane closed through Friday, Nov. 22. MoDOT said drivers may still experience some intermittent closures in and around the area, including on northbound and SB U.S. 169 until the end of 2024. Christmas tree lightings, holiday displays across Kansas City area 2024 The original Buck O'Neil Memorial Bridge was built in 1956 and construction for the new structure began in 2021. Now, it is scheduled to be completed on time and is expected to last for 100 years with significantly less costly maintenance, MoDOT said.  For more information about future projects and road closures, visit MoDOT's website.