How Covid has affected traffic patterns in Kansas City

Remember rush hour? It’s now been six months since the city’s traffic patterns shifted almost overnight due to the coronavirus pandemic. As of early September, traffic by passenger cars in Kansas City was down about fifteen percent from previous years, according to Derek Olson, an engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation’s local office. Meanwhile, commercial traffic was up about thirteen percent in the city. This is a big change from April, at the height of pandemic lockdowns, when passenger traffic was down by half in the city and commercial vehicle traffic was down by a quarter.