Public meeting scheduled for KC-area I-35 interchange, Thurs 13 Feb

The City of Olathe has scheduled a public information meeting regarding the I-35 and Lone Elm Interchange Project for Thursday, February 13 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Olathe City Hall, 100 East Santa Fe.

[Please see our news report on the results of this meeting, 15 Feb 2003.]

The public is invited to attend the open house style meeting anytime between 6 and 8:30 p.m. A brief introductory presentation will be offered at 6:15 p.m.; otherwise it is an informal open house. The session will introduce the project team and provide background information about the project. The proposed interchange at I-35 and Lone Elm Road will provide better access to the 159th and Lone Elm Road area in southern Olathe. Currently access to I-35 is provided through local roads that connect at 151st or 175th Streets.

"This area of Olathe is growing very quickly and with the high traffic volumes, an additional access point will provide safer, more convenient travel," said Dave Nolte, project manager with the City of Olathe. "We have anticipated the need for this access point through our planning processes and are now ready to design an interchange that will serve the community." The need for an interchange at this location was determined through a number of regional and local transportation plans including the Comprehensive Arterial Road Network Plan (CARNP) for Johnson County, the City of Olathe's Capital Improvement Program, Land Use Plans and Street Network Study, and the Mid-America Regional Council's (MARC) 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

The interchange proposed for I-35 and Lone Elm Road is a folded, or half diamond interchange which will provide complete access to both northbound and southbound I-35. The City of Olathe has hired HNTB Corporation to design the proposed interchange. The design phase of the project will take approximately two and half years. Construction could occur in 2006-2007 depending upon availability of funding.

The project team welcomes questions and comments from residents, businesses and the traveling public. Three additional public meetings will be held to provide updated information as the project progresses. For more information please contact Dave Nolte at (913) 971-8570, (dnolte@olatheks.org) or check the City website's page about the interchange.

Dale Crawford, a cyclist from Olathe, adds that Lone Elm has been a cycle-friendly road, very often used by cyclists. The interchange work has the potential to add a lot of heavy truck traffic to the road, making it much more difficult for cyclists to use. He suggests these ideas for making the interchange project more bicycle-friendly; feel free to mention these, or similar ideas, when you write to Olathe with your feedback about the project:
a.) Bike lanes on Lone Elm from Dennis Ave. Bike Lanes south, through the overpass on I-35 at 159th, and continuing to 175th are needed. This will allow the safe, continued use of Lone Elm Road by road bicyclists riding and maintain current routes as designated in the Johnson/Wyandotte County Bicycle Transportation Plan. I'm recommending bike lanes due to the existence of two major parks along this corridor and the likelihood of increased on-road bicycle traffic generated by these parks.

b.) Provide for the extension of the proposed Cedar Lake/Cedar Creek Trail through the interchange as a separate 10'-wide bike/pedestrian facility to provide recreation cyclists, children cyclists and pedestrians accommodation. This will allow the linkage of two of Olathe's major parks, Cedar Lake and the new Lone Elm Park at 167th Street. Lone Elm Park, which will be a significant traffic generator due to the proposed 13 softball fields (5 in Phase 1, under construction) and 8 soccer fields (under construction). Designing the new roadway system to accommodation all types of users will help alleviate conflict and congestion. The trail can be designed with underpasses under access ramps and separation from driving lanes similar to Adams Dairy Road & I-70 in Blue Springs.

c.) Provide full pedestrian accommodation on both sides of Lone Elm Road and 159th Street. Take measures to minimize pedestrian/vehicular hazards by provide upgrade pedestrian accommodation throughout the interchange area through median refugees, signage, signalization with adequate pedestrian crossing timing, etc.

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