The 87th Street Parkway tunnel adjacent to Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa has quietly been declared open, creating a connection for pedestrians and cyclists from a popular streamway trail network north of the road to the park and other nearby amenities on the other side.
Driving the news: The tunnel, which is lighted and has Code Blue call boxes at each end for added security, opened last week with little official fanfare or ribbon-cutting, according to a city tweet.
- It marks the end of a major construction project that closed 87 Street Parkway for five days in August, as crews cut a trench across the divided four-lane road to accommodate the precast tunnel.
State of play: The new structure makes it possible for pedestrians and cyclists to cross under 87th Street Parkway without ascending a set of 40 concrete steps about 20 feet, then waiting at a traffic signal.
- The steps to the roadway above remain, making it possible for walkers on 87th Street Parkway to access the tunnel from the sidewalk along the westbound lane of the road.
Backstory: The tunnel was intended as a safer and less time-consuming way for walkers and cyclists to get from the Little Mill Creek Trail network north of 87th Street Parkway to the eastern end of Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park.
- The popular mixed-use trails run north from 87th Street Parkway past Mill Creek Elementary School to Blackfish Parkway in Shawnee.
- The south end of the tunnel empties close to the skate park and Indian Trails Aquatic Center in Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park.
- Sar-Ko-Par is also the venue for numerous city events and festivals, and the tunnel is expected to make it an easier walk for people living north of 87th Street Parkway.
Details: The tunnel structure is about 10 feet wide and has arched entrances with lighting running along the ceiling.
- The city had considered other options, like a pedestrian bridge, for the link, but the topography made the pre-formed tunnel the most cost effective, officials said.
What did the 87th Street Parkway tunnel cost?
The total project cost $2.7 million, with about $1.8 million of that for construction.
- Lenexa received a $1.1 million cost-sharing grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
- The rest came from the city’s capital improvements budget.
Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who reports frequently for the Post and other Kansas City area publications. You can reach her at roxieham@gmail.com.
