A major road construction project in Edgerton to rebuild parts of Second Street and Edgewood Drive has begun.
Several streets through the heart of the small southwestern Johnson County town have cracked and potholed and lack proper storm drainage, requiring the city to tear out and replace the roadbed, according to the city.
At nearly $6.2 million, the roadwork project is Edgerton’s largest roadwork project in six years, city officials reported.
Crews began last week by uprooting trees along Second Street and Edgewood Drive in preparation for the “dirt to ground-up” road replacement project the city has been planning for the past year.
Here’s the list of streets getting rebuilt as well as approximate construction start dates:
- Phase 1: Second Street between Nelson Street and the midway point of Rankin Street and Meriwood Lane — June 2025
- Phase 2A: Second Street between the co-op at Edgewood Drive and the midway point of Rankin Street and Meriwood Lane — August 2025
- Phase 2B: Edgewood Drive between 4th Street and Second Street/Co-op Road — August 2025
- Phase 3A: Second Street/Co-op Road between the co-op at Edgewood Drive to just south of the cul-de-sac immediately to the south of the co-op — February 2026
- Phase 3B: 3rd Street between Nelson and Martin streets — February/March 2026
City officials said the roadways will be entirely removed, the base rebuilt and then reconstructed by the contractor Kansas Heavy Construction.
The design phase for the project began in 2023 with Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting.
What’s included in the project
The Kansas Department of Transportation is contributing a $1 million cost-share grant to the project, which includes:
- New pavement
- New curbs
- New gutters
- Stormwater improvements
- New street lighting
- New sidewalks
The city addressed a series of frequently asked questions on its website, including about public safety, driveway access, mail delivery and fencing.
“I want to stress that this project — one thing we try to do is we try to get in and we try to get out fast,” said Public Works Director Dan Merkh. “So to do that, we really have to make a big mess, but it makes it short.”
Merkh said residents could expect to see a 2- to 3-foot change in road elevation before the city “puts the road back.”
“The impact to the area is big,” Merkh said. “We do that in such a way that the contractor stays motivated for the city to get them out quickly.”
Reconstruction steps are generally in this order:
- Staking
- Tree and shrub clearing
- Erosion control
- Utility work
- Pavement demolition
- Road subgrade installation
- Pavement and curb installation
- Street lights
- Sidewalk and driveway installation
- Backfill and grading
- Grass restoration
Private utility relocations began earlier this month, and flags and stakes currently mark underground utilities and property lines.
Project will block driveway access and cause other impacts
Holly Robertson, project manager with the city, said Edgerton will place door hangers and set up yard signs to give residents a few days’ advance notice of roadwork when it will begin in front of their homes, including when they’ll have to block driveway access and tear out fencing. Temporary fencing will also be set up.
“The biggest thing is safety,” Robertson said. “Be alert and drive slow, especially when the road is being torn out. The conditions just won’t be a perfect situation.”
Robertson requested residents pay attention to signing, fencing, holes, uneven surfaces and on-site equipment.
“We will maintain emergency vehicle access throughout the project,” Robertson said. “Emergency vehicles will be driving on the subgrade.”
Merkh said the long, linear project had to be broken into phases.
“This is the way we can get in and out the fastest,” Merkh said. “We are doing our best to get it done fast for you, and we just ask for you guys to give us a lot of room to work and a lot of patience and grace so we can comprise something that is a finished project.”
Other traffic and roads news: Overland Park spending $30M on non-chip seal road resurfacing this year. Is your street on the list?
