The city of Olathe could decide not to accept nearly $18 million in federal grant funds in order to get the 119th Street “missing link” project started sooner and keep the Woodland Road railroad crossing open.
In a presentation to the Olathe City Council earlier this month, City Engineer Nate Baldwin said city staff are going to recommend the city council vote to authorize the project without the funds from the Federal Rail Administration.
He said some of the requirements for the grant have become too expensive — both literally raising the cost of the project by millions, and in other ways.
“Staff didn’t necessarily want to get to this point because that’s leaving a lot of money on the table, but we think in the long run it’s definitely the best thing to do,” Baldwin said.
119th Street connection is a “missing link” for Olathe
When motorists travel west, 119th Street stops at Northgate Street, which requires them to turn to use Northgate. Then, about a mile away, 119th Street begins again at Woodland Road.
The BNSF railroad, Mill Creek and the Gary L. Haller Trail are all factors creating the divide in 119th Street today.
Addressing that will require the city to both reconfigure the road in the area with a roundabout and build a bridge to cross the railroad tracks, creek and trail.
Olathe’s Transportation Master Plan ranks this project as a “high priority” because it will improve connectivity between Interstate 35 and Kansas Highway 7, and on multiple occasions Baldwin and city engineering staff have called it a “missing link.”
The project will also help with the city’s east-to-west connection as Olathe sees more growth out west.
In addition to the new traffic circle and bridge, the city plans to:
- Update the intersection at Northgate and Nelson
- Improve intersections along 119th Street at Lone Elm Road, Cherry Lane, Iowa and Cherry Streets.
- Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety in the corridor and provide connection to the trail.
The grant would require a major thoroughfare to close
- Using the Federal Rail Administration money would likely require the city to permanently close Woodland at the railroad crossing in the area, inhibiting traffic while the city tries to address traffic issues in the area with the 119th Street project.
- The proposal to close the crossing drew criticism from several neighbors over the past several months, a group of whom sent a letter to the rail administration over their concerns.
- Gregory Betzen, who lives off of Woodland Road, told the city council last month that an absence of public information about the possibility of closing Woodland in the area throughout the process has sowed distrust between neighbors and the city.
- He also said residents who helped author the letter are “simply opposed to closing one of the safest railroad crossings in Olathe just for the sake of money.”
The project could start this year without FRA grant
Construction was initially expected to begin in 2023 and go through 2024, according to the city’s capital improvement plan project list. However, progress on physical construction stalled as Olathe city officials worked out details with the Federal Rail Administration.
Now, if the city leaves the funds on the table for this project, then work could still begin this year, Baldwin said. That puts the anticipated completion date some time in 2026.
Staying on the path to using the administration funds could delay actual construction until mid-2025, pushing the completion forecast back even later, which Baldwin said could potentially make the project overlap with another large-scale transportation overhaul planned in the Interstate 35 and Santa Fe Street corridor.
And even without the requirements from the federal government, delaying the project paired with inflation has ballooned the price tag to roughly $54.5 million, about $14 million more than initially anticipated.
Next steps:
- The city council is set to vote on starting the project without the FRA funds during its Feb. 20 meeting.
- Baldwin said the city plans to host a public meeting that will discuss the timeline of the project more in depth and discuss the planned scope of work.
- Down the line, Olathe is also expected to inquire about using some or all of the FRA funds for other city projects involving at-grade railroad crossings, Baldwin indicated.
- For example, in the capital improvement plan list, Olathe has budgeted money for an engineering study to examine what, if any, railroad crossings in the city should be addressed next to improve travel times.
Looking back: Project to connect 119th Street in Olathe delayed over federal grant process
