Despite delays, a long-awaited project $12.4 million project to widen a major corridor in Shawnee is expected to be complete by November.
On June 22 at a Shawnee City Council meeting, Public Works Director Kevin Manning updated the governing body on the Midland Drive Reconstruction Project, a planned eight-month-long plant to widen and modernize the stretch of road from Shawnee Mission Parkway to I-435.
Construction on the project began in March with it expected to be finished in late November. While it has encountered delays due to the weather and utility issues, it is still expected to be completed on time, Manning said.
“We’re feeling pretty confident we can get back on schedule. The contractor is providing updated schedules and we’re basically catching up to where we want to be,” he said.
The weather delays have not “significantly impacted the overall timeline of the project” or the completion date and will not affect the project’s budget, Doug Donahoo, Shawnee’s communications manager, said in an email to the Johnson County Post.
The presentation was for informational purposes, so no action was taken by the city council.
Phase 1 of the project is complete
On June 19, Phase 1 of the project, constructing a new roadway stretching from Shawnee Mission Parkway down Lawrence Road to Midland Drive, wrapped up.
While some additional work is still being completed on that phase, like streetlights and a final coat of asphalt, construction has moved on Phase 2.
The new phase involves a full closure of Midland Drive between Lawrence Road and Sonora Street to both vehicle and bicycle traffic, as crews rebuild the road. From there, it will move on to its final two phases in mid-September with work expected to be complete by the end of November, Manning said
The project will modernize Midland Drive
Discussed by Shawnee’s governing body for several years, the project’s final plan was approved by the city council in December 2025.
Beyond widening the roads, the project also includes updating the roadway to modern standards to include:
- Two 11-foot-wide lanes for traffic
- A 5-foot sidewalk on the north side of the road
- A stormwater system
- Streetlights
- Four-foot bike lanes on both sides of the road
- Curbs and gutters in place of ditches on either side of the road
The city is working with residents to navigate roadways
While Midland Drive is closed, roads and detours will remain open to residents to get to their homes and local businesses, Manning said.
“Our intention (is) to always maintain access for all residents or businesses in this area. So there will be barricades out that may say ‘Road Closed to Thru Traffic,’ but it is important that we maintain access for residents,” Manning said.
A drive through the construction area on Midland on Tuesday showed multiple road closed signs and detours, a Johnson County Post reporter observed.
Those driving through the area to their residences are asked to follow all road signs and detours, while people who don’t live in the area are asked to take a different route.
“For all other drivers, we’re asking them (to) access Midland on the western side via Shawnee Mission Parkway or the eastern side via I-435, but to not use Midland as a thruway between Shawnee Mission Parkway and Renner Boulevard,” Donahoo said.
Anyone that lives in the construction area that is experiencing problems getting to their home is asked to call the city for assistance.
“I was actually out there today and talked to a resident that was having issues accessing their property. So when stuff like that happens, we do pass that along to the project manager and the contractor to make sure that people can basically get in and out as necessary,” Manning said.
Councilmembers worried for local businesses
While city councilmembers like Steele Reynolds and Sierra Whitted expressed thanks for the update and the progress being made, they also said words of support to local businesses that have been affected by the closure, like Station 3 Coffee, who had access to its front parking lot cut off by the construction.
“Thank you for being so helpful, trying to do the best that you can to work with the business and the residents in that area, they’ve been through a lot,” Whitted said.
Go deeper: Shawnee’s Midland Drive project set to begin early next year — Here’s the latest
