KANSAS CITY, Mo. — You might have noticed a change to the roads over by Children’s Mercy Hospital, but it’s not more construction.

The city is hoping the closure will keep pedestrians safer.

Driving down Gillham Road can be confusing. There are a lot of turns, lanes merging, and now you’ll see part of the road is closed.

“By closing this slip lane here we have teed up the intersection, which makes it more visible and safer for pedestrians,” Maggie Green with KC Public Works said.

Green said the Parking Transportation Commission has been looking at this little slipway for about a year. It hooks off East 29th Street and feeds onto Gillham right near Children’s Mercy Hospital. It’s near the Ronald McDonald House and two medical schools as well.

“A lot of folks are walking because they’re students. They’re parking in the neighborhood; they’re from the neighborhood, getting to these other amenities. They’re trying to get to Crown Center for lunch,” Green said. “So this is a very highly foot-trafficked area, and making it safer is a great improvement for everybody.”

Green said they closed the small section of road to allow pedestrians to walk and for drivers to stop and look when they turn.

“All the way around this little change here, that was pretty inexpensive and pretty easy to do, not only improved pedestrian safety, but it’s also improving the whole intersection for drivers, too,” Green said.

Green said the changes to the slipway are currently temporary. But if the community likes the change, they might make it permanent with some hardscaping or green space.