The city of Shawnee will widen and upgrade parts of a two-mile stretch of Nieman Road.
On Monday, the Shawnee City Council unanimously approved the project proposal, signing off on the final improvement designs without much discussion.
The vote allows city staff to take the work to bid, a process that invites contractors to make offers on a government project.
This work is not part of the city’s five-year Nieman Now project between Johnson Drive and Shawnee Mission Parkway, which is now complete and re-envisioned the stretch of Nieman Road in the downtown area.
The focus is on Nieman south of SM Parkway
- The work will begin at Nieman Road south of Shawnee Mission Parkway and run to the southern edge of Shawnee’s border with Lenexa.
- Basic street repairs will be a big part of the work, including some resurfacing.
- Additionally, the intersection at 74th Street will be widened for turn lanes.
- New traffic signals will be added at 74th and 67th streets.
New sidewalks and streetlights are also possible
- While work on Nieman goes ahead, Shawnee is also planning to consider upgrades to sidewalks, stormwater drainage and utility service lines in the area.
- The city may also add new streetlights in the area.
- More recreational-focused elements — like a playground, benches and greenery — that were part of Nieman Now are not planned as part of this leg of Nieman improvements.
The project will receive county support
- Overall, this Nieman improvement project is expected to cost roughly $5 million.
- Johnson County will kick in about $1.6 million of that through its gas-tax backed County Assistance Road System program.
- Lenexa will also put up $150,000 toward the cost of the project, city documents say, as part of an interlocal agreement between the two cities.
- The rest, funded in the city’s capital improvement plan list, will be Shawnee’s responsibility.
