Olathe city officials are concerned about some changes coming to Kansas Highway 10, especially the impacts of a potential new interchange at Lone Elm Road.
City staff and Olathe city councilmembers worry a new interchange there could make school zones nearby less safe along with other potential issues, including increased stormwater runoff and traffic noise.
The planned interchange is part of a wider estimated $1.235 billion long-term K-10 corridor improvement project driven by the Kansas Department of Transportation.
In contrast, officials in neighboring Lenexa have long advocated for improvements to K-10, which serves as the boundary between the two cities in central Johnson County, and called a new interchange at Lone Elm a priority.
Last week, the Olathe City Council signaled their desire to draft a letter to the state transportation department outlining the city’s specific concerns with the plans for the interchange as they currently stand. There was consensus from councilmembers at the council’s meeting Tuesday, Nov. 19, but no specific action was taken.
What is KDOT planning on K-10 in Lenexa, Olathe?
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- KDOT is focussing on the 16.5-mile stretch of K-10 that passes through Johnson County, touching De Soto, Lenexa and Olathe, with an emphasis on improving safety and capacity.
- A couple of other options have been weighed — including adding an express toll lane — but at this point, KDOT’s current scenario includes building a new diamond interchange at Lone Elm Road, east of Kansas Highway 7.
- That would also include the eventual upgrade of Lone Elm Road to College Boulevard, and it may or may not have a connection to the south side of the interchange.
- KDOT is looking at options for a single-point urban interchange at Lexington Avenue in De Soto as well.
Olathe councilmembers worried about school zones
There wasn’t anything specifically listed on the agenda on Tuesday related to the K-10 corridor project. However, Mayor Pro Tem Marge Vogt brought up the possibility of sending a letter to KDOT during the regular city council comment portion of the evening.
“I think there’s power behind the pen of the governing body,” she said. Other councilmembers agreed, with multiple of them voicing support for Vogt’s idea.
The chief concern was safety in the school zone.
“The student safety issue is huge,” Councilmember LeEtta Felter said.
In particular, there are school zones feeding four Olathe school buildings in the area — Meadow Lane Elementary School, Prairie Trail Middle School, Olathe Northwest High School and the Prairie Learning Center — as well as the school district’s College Boulevard Activity Center.
Their additional worries about the impact of an interchange on Lone Elm Road were broad, ranging from:
- Issues with stormwater in neighboring residential areas
- Road realignments needed to accommodate the interchange
- Extra noise since KDOT may not put sound barriers on Olathe’s side of the project
Olathe wanted an overpass, not an interchange
- Councilmember Robyn Essex said the city of Olathe’s preference had been for a K-10 overpass, not a new interchange at Lone Elm Road.
- Councilmember Kevin Gilmore also pointed out that Olathe has been updating and improving Lone Elm Road over the years but never with the expectation that it could become a higher volume road.
- So, he said, KDOT ought to at least help cover or pay entirely for improvements on Lone Elm Road to make it have the capacity to support the new traffic coming off the highway.
Olathe city staff also worry about K-10 plans
The letter the city council is drafting follows a letter previously submitted by City Manager Michael Wilkes detailing a worry about the interchange sending “truck traffic through the school zones on Lone Elm Road” in Olathe.
“Due to the decision to install an interchange at Lone Elm, KDOT has the responsibility to address safety within the school zone areas to Olathe’s satisfaction,” Wilkes’ letter says, calling on KDOT to cover the cost of capacity improvements on Lone Elm Road and other accommodations.
He added that “Olathe expects that all improvements required for safe school zones will be completed before the Lone Elm interchange is operational.”
Lenexa has long desired an interchange at Lone Elm
On the other hand, Lenexa has long wanted to build an interchange at Lone Elm Road, going so far as to request money for it from the federal government in the early 2000s.
“Construction of a full interchange at Lone Elm has been a priority for Lenexa for two decades as this is a rapidly growing area of our community,” Lenexa City Manager Beccy Yocham said in a statement emailed to the Post.
Yocham said it “will relieve congestion and improve traffic safety at adjacent interchanges on K-10 and K-7,” highlighting Woodland Road specifically.
She also said Lenexa expects the project to address motorist and foot traffic access in the area, adding that the city believes it will offer “safety to students and families who attend school events and frequent businesses south of K-10″ in Olathe.
Yocham also said Lenexa has promised more than $11 million to the project, using the federal money it has received in the past as well as some of its own city funds.
Next steps:
- Olathe city staff have been instructed to draft a letter for the city council to approve during its next meeting on Dec. 3.
- After that, the letter will be sent to KDOT before the public comment deadline for the project passes.
- To get more information about the project or leave your own comments, click here.
- KDOT will make a final decision about design and scope early next year, according to project materials.
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