By Randall Smith
Traffic woes are ahead for students and staff traveling northbound to the college.
Starting this January, Quivira Road will be widened between 99th Street and the Interstate 435 ramp, according to the city of Overland Park.
The project should be completed by late next summer, said Overland Park project manager Tony Rome.
The highway widening should encourage many to seek alternative routes to school. During most of the construction, one lane on each side of the road will stay open. Rome said the Kansas State Gateway Project will start with the replacement of the bridge with a larger bridge at the point of the I- 435 ramp.
Also, the road widening construction project is now necessary because of a $121 million expansion of Overland Park Regional Medical Center. The hospital will add a five-story building with a renovated emergency department. The new building will face Quivira Road and the current helipad will move to the roof of the new building according to the Kansas City Business Journal.
Overland Park city manager Bill Ebel said the cost of the project is estimated to run $7.9 million, and the state-funded replacement of the I-435 overpass bridge will help the city stretch its budget for improvements.
Currently, Quivira Road is a congested four-lane thoroughfare from 99th to 105th Streets. The official 2009-2010 daily traffic count was 27,000 to 30,000 depending on what side of the street you were on, Ebel said.
Quivira Road will be developed to a six-lane street with double left turn lanes. There will be left and right lanes located on side streets. The project will include new stoplights, street lights and sidewalks. The city will have the opportunity to update storm sewers and fiber optics conduits in the medians of Quivira Road. Rome said improvements will facilitate heavier traffic volumes.
The State Gateway Project is improving I-435 and Highway 69 due to increased traffic. The Quivira Road Widening Project combined with the Gateway Project will create economic benefits for the community. The completion of the Gateway project will have a $1.2 billion economic gain for the community. An estimated 3,500 permanent jobs will be created, not including the added construction jobs for the project, according to KSDOT.org.
Executive Director of Campus Services Rex Hays said the city has been very helpful and have given contractors financial incentives to minimize the amount of construction time.
Student Miranda Smith said she travels to school using the I-435 overpass.
“It will be inconvenient for a while but a big improvement when finished,” Smith said.