Popular paved bike and hike trails that closed for several months during the 69Express toll lanes project in Overland Park are set to reopen soon.
In a recent project email update, the Kansas Department of Transportation said that Indian Creek Trail and Tomahawk Creek Trail, as well as the trail that runs near Heartland Elementary west of U.S. Highway 69, are all set to reopen this year.
These trails were closed as work ramped up to improve capacity on 69 Highway with new express toll lanes and other upgrades. Crews have been on the ground for the project for more than two years at this point, but major construction work is expected to start wrapping up at the end of this year.
Tomahawk Creek Trail will reopen first
- Parts of Tomahawk Creek Trail affected by the construction work are set to reopen in late spring or early summer this year, though the exact date is unclear.
- The 12-mile Tomahawk Creek Trail runs through Overland Park and Leawood, mostly next to the creek for which it is named. It has multiple access points in both cities.
- The Heartland Elementary trail near the highway is also expected to open around the same time, according to KDOT. The exact timing depends on the completion of noise walls in the area.
Indian Creek Trail reopens later
- KDOT also said the impacted portions of the Indian Creek Trail will reopen in the fall of this year, pending the completion of a bridge for southbound 69 Highway.
- This trail spans about 25 miles across state lines and winds through multiple parks in Overland Park and Olathe as well as on the Missouri side.
- Like Tomahawk Creek Trail, it primarily runs adjacent to the creek it draws its name from.
People “are very eager to get back on the trails”
Overland Park resident Amy Scrivner, who is also the director of development and communications for BikeWalkKC, said her family is particularly excited to see the trails affected by 69Express work reopen.
BikeWalkKC is a nonprofit group focused on advocating for better access to connected biking and walking infrastructure as well as transit options in the metro.
Scrivner said her husband likes to use the Indian Creek Trail as part of his commute to work in Olathe on bike, but that routine has been disrupted due to the construction.
It’s not just Scrivner and her family. She said BikeWalkKC has been hearing from people who “are very eager to get back on the trails.”
“They’ve really come to rely on the trail network that has just boomed here in Johnson County,” Scrivner said, noting the trails are particularly important for aging cyclists who no longer feel safe biking on main roads.
Additionally, reopening these parts of the trails will be big news for some of the bike riding groups that utilize them on their regular rides.
“It’s become such a big amenity for residents living here that when they’re shut down, you realize when something’s been taken away from you, just how much you’ve come to rely on it,” she added.
Looking ahead:
- Scrivner said, now that the trails are set to reopen soon, she hopes leadership in the metro area gets more interested in ensuring the trails are better connected.
- BikeWalkKC, she said, is particularly interested in linking the trail network in Johnson County with the seven-mile Harry Wiggins Trolley Track Trail that runs along the old streetcar line near Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood.
- That would open up new north-to-south trail access and remove gaps between trail networks.
- “If we could link those up,” Scrivner said, “folks would be thrilled.”
Keep reading: Future of Overland Park’s aging Indian Creek Rec Center uncertain — Here’s why
