KANSAS CITY TRAFFIC: Bulls are on the move in Lenexa

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ---- Wonder what happened to the three bulls that used to romp happily in the grassy median along K-10 just west of I-435?

The “Bull Ridge” artwork, owned by the City of Lenexa, was removed and placed in storage in July 2014 to make way for building new highway flyover ramps as part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Johnson County Gateway Phase 2 Design-Build Project.

The playful, naturally rusted steel bulls are the “positives” from Robert Morris's historic “Bull Wall” sculpture — a large metal wall pierced with cutouts of running bulls — located near Kemper Arena in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

“Bull Ridge” was acquired by the City of Lenexa in 1999. The smallest of the three bulls weighs 1,600 pounds, while the largest weighs one ton.

Once construction is completed on the flyover ramps, there won’t be room to put the artwork back in the same location. The City of Lenexa and the Lenexa Arts Council explored relocation sites that are highly visible to the public and will allow the bulls to be nestled in native grasses again.

In January 2015, Lenexa selected a city-owned bluff on the south side of Prairie Star Parkway west of Lenexa Fire Station #5 as the “Bull Ridge” artwork’s new home on the range.

The bulls will be installed there sometime this spring.