Several road projects are under way or getting started in southern Platte County, including long-awaited road reconstruction at Northwest 72nd Street.
Work started last week to rebuild 72nd Street from Interstate 29 to North Overland Drive, with planned improvements to include:
The new roadway will have one lane traffic in each direction with a continuous center left turn lane
Removal of the roadside ditches. A new underground storm sewer system will capture and convey rainwater
Improvements to the vertical elevation changes in the roadway to improve motorist sight distances
A five foot wide sidewalk will be added along the south side of the roadway
A five foot wide sidewalk will be added along the west side of the south leg of Chatham. This sidewalk will connect to Chinn Elementary School
New concrete drive approaches at all residential and commercial driveways
A roundabout at the intersection of Overland Drive
Replacement of the existing public water main service connections. Some existing water meters may be replaced due to its location add/or age
New street lighting
New traffic signage
The project will be completed in two construction phases to provide continuous access to Lake Waukomis along North Chatham Avenue. The first phase will be from I-29 to Chatham Avenue and the second phase will run from Chatham Avenue to Polk Avenue.
The existing roadway east of Overland Drive to Polk will remain but a concrete curb will be added to the westbound lane of 72nd Street.
The project is expected to be completed in summer 2020. The detour route for east-west traffic is Northwest 79th Street. Signage and detour routes will be marked along North Waukomis Drive and Roanridge Road/Montclair Avenue. Residents and businesses along 72nd Street will have access throughout construction. Lake Waukomis residents will be provided access via Chatham Avenue throughout construction as well.
NORTHWOOD ROAD
Platte County is one year into the construction project at Northwood Road. A roundabout has been built at the intersection of Northwood and Northwest 56th Street. Work has shifted to Northwood from Northwest 52nd Street to 56th Street, which is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Next up is Northwood from 56th Street north to 59th Terrace.
The project is behind schedule due to the weather and conflicts with utility relocations, pushing the estimated completion date to November. All work south of 56th Street must be completed during the Park Hill School District’s summer break.
School is also set to start at the new Walden Middle School this fall.
POTHOLES AND BEYOND
Kansas City Public Works crews are filling about 3000 pot holes a week, according to city councilman Dan Fowler. Crews are also overseeing road resurfacing to mitigate the impact from a harsh winter and wet spring.
Some roads have issues beyond potholes, including Northwest 64th and 68th Streets. A long-term fix would cost about $13 million, however, so the city is looking at temporary surface repairs.