Downtown Overland Park will soon have new signs that will help pedestrians and bicyclists find what they’re looking for in the area.
Last week, the Overland Park City Council unanimously approved a new agreement for the project with the Kansas Department of Transportation.
“I was super excited to see this,” Councilmember Holly Grummert said of the wayfinding signs at the March Public Works Committee meeting. She noted this project has been in the works for some time now.
Downtown OP wayfinding project to cost about $250K
- Under the new agreement, the Kansas Department of Transportation will now contribute $220,000 in federal funds for the project.
- That’s about $120,000 more than previously promised.
- Overland Park will be responsible for the estimated remaining cost of $50,000.
How will the downtown signs work?
The signs won’t have any digital or electronic components, but will instead be “static” directional signs geared toward people walking or riding bikes in the downtown area, said Supervisory Civil Engineer Brian Geiger in March.
For example, a sign might tell a passerby that it’s a one-mile trek from where they are to the farmers’ market pavilion.
The agreement with KDOT also includes some signs to be placed outside the primary downtown Overland Park core area to help people navigate to trails. Those signs will be geared toward cyclists, Geiger said.
“There is nothing intended for motorists,” he said.
Where will the wayfinding signs go?
- During the city council and public works committee meetings when the sign project was voted on, there was little discussion about actual locations.
- However, Geiger said a stakeholder group with city staff, downtown business owners and community members helped identify the places and landmarks in downtown Overland Park the signs should point people to.
Next steps:
- Once the last few steps in the design process are complete, Overland Park will take the downtown wayfinding sign project up to bid.
- City staff expect to have construction underway this summer or this fall at the latest.
- Construction should be done by the end of the year, Geiger said.
Keep reading: Former boutique reopens as bookshop in downtown Overland Park
