This Saturday at 6 p.m., the Village at Briarcliff will light its tree and set off fireworks over the hill. The free Annual Tree Lighting runs from 4 to 6 p.m. on November 7 at 4151 N. Mulberry Drive, according to the Life 88.5 event listing. The center's own event page promises music, fireworks, and "holiday vibes," and says more details are coming.
The two main roads up to the hill are both in work zones this year. On the east side, North Oak Trafficway is in the last weeks of a reconstruction that the city expects to finish in January. On the west side, US 169 runs in a single-bridge, head-to-head lane pattern that MoDOT plans to keep until summer 2028. Both affect the drive this holiday season, but they end on very different timelines. For people who live and shop around Briarcliff, the North Oak work is a winter's worth of hassle. The US 169 pattern will last through two more holiday seasons.
The two end dates
These are the dates the city and MoDOT have published:
- October 2025: North Oak construction started between NE 42nd Street/Briarcliff Parkway and NE 46th Street.
- December 2025: The northbound US 169 viaduct bridge closed after inspectors found a raised bridge joint.
- May 27, 2026: Northbound US 169 reopened in a head-to-head pattern on the southbound bridge.
- August 2026: North Oak work restarted after the World Cup pause.
- Later this fall: Final paving on North Oak, weather permitting.
- January 2027: Full North Oak completion.
- Summer 2028: US 169 bridge replacement complete, which ends the head-to-head pattern.
The tree lighting lands near the end of the North Oak project and about a third of the way through the US 169 one.
North Oak's last phase
The City of Kansas City's project page lays out the October 17–30 work in detail. Crews began removing the temporary concrete barrier wall on October 17, and commercial driveways along the corridor were expected to reopen after it came out. Starting the week of October 20, traffic moved into the two center lanes, with one lane open in each direction while the outside lanes stayed closed for sidewalk and grading work.
The intersection most people use to get up the hill is changing too. The city scheduled the signal at North Oak and NE 42nd Street to go dark on Wednesday, October 28, so crews could switch out the old wiring. Stop signs turned it into a four-way stop for the day. Coordination is also underway for signal upgrades at Briarcliff Parkway and North Oak, so signal crews may still be working near the light that leads into the shopping center during the holiday weeks.
The city's update leads with this line in bold: "All businesses in the area remain open throughout the project."
This stretch of North Oak used to be part of the MoDOT highway system. The city describes it as "significantly deteriorated with inconsistent pedestrian accommodations and sidewalk gaps along the corridor." The $5.52 million in federal STP funding pays for a rebuilt four-lane road, new pedestrian and bicycle facilities, upgraded streetlights, and storm sewers separated from the combined system. The streetlight conduit is already in, and foundation installation was set to begin in late October.
This holiday season, that means narrowed lanes, construction equipment, and fresh concrete curing along the edges. By January, the city expects a finished road with continuous sidewalks and new lighting from Briarcliff Parkway to the southern edge of the I-29 interchange at NE 46th.
US 169 near Route 9
On the west side, the US 169 work won't be finished this winter. KCTV5 reported that the head-to-head pattern starts just past the Kansas City Downtown Airport, Wheeler Field, and ends just north of the viaduct bridges near Briarcliff Parkway and MO Route 9. The speed limit through the project area dropped from 55 to 45 mph.
Two ramp changes matter most for Briarcliff trips. According to MoDOT's May 27 release:
- MO Route 9 traffic cannot get onto southbound US 169.
- Northbound US 169 traffic cannot exit onto MO Route 9.
Both restrictions stay in place until the bridge replacement is finished in summer 2028. Under the original plan, the northbound bridge was already due for replacement in summer 2026, after the World Cup. The emergency closure in December moved that schedule up.
In January, MoDOT KC District Engineer Greg Bolon explained the capacity problem to KCTV5:
"You're going to have slowdowns if all 40,000 people stay on 169."
MoDOT's suggested alternate river crossings are the Fairfax Bridge, the Heart of America Bridge, the Kit Bond Bridge, and the I-435 River Bridge. For a holiday shopper or a family coming up from downtown on a Saturday evening, the extra time is now built into this side of the hill for two more holiday seasons. North Oak is the approach that improves first.
What's at the top of the hill
On the hill itself, there's more to see than last year. The Culinary Center of Kansas City opened its second location at 4161 North Mulberry Drive in March 2026, FOX4 reported, and has taught classes in Thai, Mexican, Japanese, and Italian cooking. The Pitch reported at the end of April that classes there had just started. The center's tenant directory still lists it as "Coming Soon," so check with the Culinary Center itself for current class schedules.
For holiday gifts, three shops at the Village cover a lot of ground:
- Made in KC carries work from more than 300 Kansas City-area artists, designers, and makers. Its listed hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
- Nell Hill's sells furniture, lighting, art, décor, seasonal displays, and one-of-a-kind gifts.
- Decori is run by owners who make the Cefalù luxury candle line in Kansas City, according to a 2024 Startland News profile. The profile named scents such as TK87 and Luxe Hotel.
Dinner before the 6 p.m. lighting takes some planning, because the Village's restaurants keep very different hours.
PhillyTime makes cheesesteaks and subs on Amoroso rolls with Boar's Head meats and sliced rib eye. Its posted hours end at 3 p.m. on Saturdays, so it works for lunch on tree-lighting day but not dinner. Carne Diem is a whole-animal and seafood butcher shop with deli items, house-made pastas, and cheese. Its website lists hot-food takeout Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Startland News reported in 2025 that chef-owner Sarah Nelson uses Barham Family Farm eggs in the shop's fried-egg sandwich, mayonnaise, and ranch.
For a sit-down dinner after the fireworks, Piropos serves hand-made empanadas, grilled meats, and seafood, and its menu notes that items depend on availability. On Sunday morning, Trezo Mare serves brunch with short-rib hash and baked French toast, plus a separate gluten-free menu. Hours posted on business websites can change around the holidays, so call ahead before you plan an evening around them.
January, then 2028
North Oak's cones are scheduled to come down in January 2027, which means this should be the last holiday season with that corridor torn up. After that, the city expects the eastern approach to have new pavement, continuous sidewalks, bike facilities, and streetlights from Briarcliff Parkway north to NE 46th. On the western approach, Route 9 drivers still can't get onto southbound US 169, northbound US 169 drivers still can't exit to Route 9, and that holds through summer 2028.
From a construction perspective, projects like North Oak and the US 169 bridge replacement affect a neighborhood for years: how people get in and out, which approach gets better first, and what the area looks like once the crews leave. If you'd like to talk through how projects like these play out around Briarcliff and the rest of the Northland, The Pfannenstiel Group is glad to share what we're seeing. Contact Us.
