Overland Park’s plan to eventually make the area around College Boulevard and Metcalf Avenue more pedestrian-friendly has received its first major shot of funding.
The city announced earlier this month that the Mid-America Regional Council approved$1.35 million in federal funds to go towards making the highly trafficked area around the Overland Park Convention Center more walkable for residents, workers and visitors who come there for events and conferences.
‘Mobility’ on College Boulevard has been looked at for years
- The city’s most recent study of the area’s walkability and accessibility began with a series of public meetings in 2021.
- That study concluded that enhancing the mobility of the area could increase the number of visitors and events that come to the city, create walkable places for new residents, connect retail and office centers and provide access and amenities for those who work in the area.
- Overland Park Communications Manager Meg Ralph said making the College Boulevard area around Metcalf more walkable is “necessary” because that corridor is the city’s largest concentration of office employment and a regional activity center for the Kansas City metro.
- Improving walkability in that area, which the city calls “OP Central,” is now part of the city’s long-term plan.
The plan includes more crosswalks, paths and a park
- Improvements under consideration include a proposed “linear park” along College Boulevard, a multi-use path, common areas, intersection improvements to enhance walking and biking options and wayfinding signs.
- RDG Planning & Design, who conducted the most recent mobility study, said the city needed to improve crosswalks at major intersections along College, 110th, 112th and 115th streets, in order to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.
- Possibly the most significant part of the proposed improvements is a raised pedestrian bridge over the busy intersection at College and Metcalf.
OP’s plan feeds into bigger KC metro-wide goals
- The Overland Park project was selected to receive funding from MARC due to the mobility enhancements aligning with priorities established in Connected KC 2050, according to MARC officials.
- Connected KC 2050 is a the region’s longe-range metropolitan transportation plan for the next 30 years, put together by MARC, the metro’s regional planning agency.
- Out of 145 applicants, Overland Park’s enhancements to College and Metcalf was one of 78 projects that eventually received a portion of roughly $137 million federal funding given out by MARC this year.
Construction could to start in the next few years
- The project is under consideration for construction between 2026-2028, Ralph said.
- Currently, the mobility enhancements to the College and Metcalf area are projected to have a total cost of $4 million.
- A “road diet” reducing the number of lanes on College between Metcalf and Nall has already happened.
