About 42 lane miles of road in Shawnee will get repairs as part of the city’s annual work resurfacing and rehabbing roads.
The Shawnee City Council on Monday unanimously approved allowing city staff to start taking bids this year’s 2024 Mill and Overlay Project and other street maintenance projects related to the 2024 Street Maintenance Program.
A chunk of Street Improvement Program funds will support an overhaul of Monrovia Street between 55th Street and Johnson Drive.
Shawnee’s street program is more than road repair
This year’s projects are expected to cost about a total $13.7 million.
Roughly $2.5 million of that will go towards the Monrovia Street project, including street reconstruction with curbs, sidewalks and storm sewers.
Other street maintenance projects in Shawnee include:
- Citizen-requested sidewalk and curb repair — about $100,000
- Parking lot repairs — $334,000
- Bridge repair inspection — $40,000
- Crack seal maintenance — $100,000
- Street rejuvenation treatment — $100,000
The project is focused on low-rated roads
To figure out what roads needed repairs, the city scanned and rated all of the roads in Shawnee using 3D scanning technology. It’s a process that occurs every three years, according to city documents.
City staff reviewed 60 lane miles of the lowest-rated streets and determined which would fit in this year’s project list.
The project is funded through the Facility Reserve Fund and General Fund.
A resident requested her neighborhood be added
Deborah Altenhofen, a Shawnee resident on West 54th Street, said that while she’s happy for her neighbors whose streets are included in the project, her neighborhood should also be included in future plans.
During storms, they often experience flooding because they have no curbs or gutters, she said.
“In 1952, the Shawnee house was built that my husband and I called home,” she said. “Seventy-plus years have passed since the creation of the street that I live on, and in all that time we have never had curbs or gutters.”
She added that while she and her neighbors write letters to the council, they’re always told there’s not enough money to get it done.
“It’s like living in an endless loop between the combination of ‘Groundhog Day’ and that famous ‘Seinfeld’ episode of ‘No soup for you,'” she said. “‘Can we curbs this year?’ ‘Nope. No curbs for you.'”
A timeline for the projects has not been determined
The timeline for the project depends on the number of bids, the weather and when projects can get started.
“The projects can take from springtime all the way to fall, when the weather starts to change,” said Doug Donahoo, Shawnee’s communication director. “As soon as they can get going, once projects have been bid out and they have approval from council, they start rolling as soon as possible.”
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