Johnson County’s Board of County Commissioners recently approved roughly $17 million for annual road improvements around the county for the coming year.
Driving the news: At its Sept. 22 meeting, the board unanimously voted to authorize funding for the County Assistance Road System, or CARS, program for 2023.
- CARS aims to help local cities maintain major arterial roads throughout the county and pays for up to half the cost for such improvements.
- In a separate vote, county commissioners also approved another roughly $17 million for annual stormwater management improvements, another countywide program that shares maintenance costs with cities.
- Both programs are managed by the Urban Services Division of the Johnson County Public Works Department.
Where Johnson County is funding road improvements
CARS projects: The total allocation next year for the county’s CARS program, which funds up to 50% of local cities’ maintenance of major roads, amounts to about $17.2 million.
- This includes 21 improvement projects on existing roads in 13 cities across the county.
- While the county, through CARS, funds up to 50% of the project’s construction and construction inspection costs, cities are responsible for other costs, including design, right-of-way and utility relocation.
Where 2023 money is going: Some of the notable allocations included in the program include:
- $4.35 million for improvements to 119th Street from Woodland Road to Northgate Street in Olathe
- $1.65 million for improvements to Foxridge Drive from 51st Street to Lamar Avenue in Mission
- $1.4 million for improvements to Nieman Road from Shawnee Mission Park to the south city limits of Shawnee and Lenexa
- $1.35 million for improvements to Merriam Drive from Johnson Drive to 55th Street to Switzer Road in Merriam
- $1.18 million for 199th Street from Ridgeview to Renner roads in Spring Hill
- $1.45 million for 167th Street from Switzer Road to Antioch Road in Overland Park
- $77,000 to improve 48th Street from Roe Boulevard to Roe Lane in Roeland Park
