A curvy stretch on a slope of Johnson Drive in Shawnee will be rebuilt soon to make it safer for traffic.
The Shawnee City Council in December 2025 approved measures to improve the stretch of Johnson Drive at Barker Road, just east of the Mid-America Sports Complex.
The improvements are meant to make that stretch of Johnson Drive, safer to navigate after two fatalities occurred during the past decade.
“(If) you’re coming westbound, you’re going down a very significant hill, down Johnson Drive,” Kevin Manning, Shawnee public works director, said during the Dec. 8 meeting.
That slope becomes problematic because the curvature of the slope can push vehicles out of their lane and cause crashes, Manning said.
Two fatalities have happened at the intersection
During the past decade, at least two fatal crashes have happened at the curve.
On Dec. 17, 2017, Shirley Wagner, 82, died in a three-vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection.
On June 25, 2018, Sierra Cook, 35, died in a motorcycle crash on the roadway, according to KMBC. She was riding passenger.
The project will improve the curve on Johnson Drive
The project will rebuild the curve on the road to make it safer, Manning said.
The city will add more superelevation, a method of infrastructure construction that banks roadway curves by raising the outer edge of the pavement above the inner edge to help keep vehicles in their lane.
They will also be adding a friction coating to the road to help tires grip the road better and prevent slipping, Manning said.
KDOT and Shawnee will split project costs
The project will use about $700,000 in Highway Safety Improvement Program funds from the Kansas Department of Transportation to reimburse the city for construction costs, according to Shawnee city documents.
Any remaining costs will be covered by the city’s Special Highway Aid Fund, which is derived from the city’s share of the Kansas gasoline tax, as well as the revenue from the 3/8-cent pavement sales tax, and about one-half of the landfill impact fee.
