The city of Merriam is eyeing three major traffic corridors for improvements over the next five years and is asking for the county’s help to make the upgrades.
The city council on Monday unanimously approved an application for the County Assisted Road System, or CARS, program covering projects that could be completed between 2024 and 2028. Councilmember Bruce Kaldahl was absent.
The application serves as the city’s request for funding and outlines the three streets Merriam wants to make upgrade to in coming years with the county’s assistance.
Three thoroughfares are on Merriam’s future list
- 49th Street between Switzer and Antioch roads is scheduled for 2025, including repaving the road and replacing curbs, gutters and sidewalks.
- Johnson Drive from Merriam’s eastern city limit to Mackey Street is the 2026 project and also includes curb, gutter and sidewalk replacement work.
- For 2027, the city plans to work on Merriam Drive between 55th Street and 50th Terrace.
- Another section of Merriam Drive, between Shawnee Mission Parkway and Johnson Drive, is on the list for a 2028 project.
County is already helping fund Merriam Drive project downtown
- City documents show that no CARS funding is being requested for new projects in 2024.
- However, the city wants to carry over CARS funding that has already been approved this year for a much-discussed project on Merriam Drive between Johnson Drive and 55th Street.
- The $4.7 million project (of which roughly $1.34 million is being paid by the county) is aimed at increasing walkability and bikeability in Merriam’s downtown and includes plans for an elevated crosswalk and wider sidewalks while also shaving the road down to two lanes north of 58th Terrace.
- The plan has garnered some pushback from downtown business owners who have voiced worries that it could create more traffic congestion.
CARS funds 50% of some city road projects
- For CARS, Johnson County cities submit five-year project plans to the county on an annual basis, laying out their requests.
- These must be improvement projects on major “arterial” roads, like Johnson Drive or 49th Street in Merriam.
- The county uses a scoring system to select projects to fund annually, according to the county website.
More CARS news: Prairie Village eyes 7 major roads for CARS funding for next five years
