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The purpose of the meeting will be to review work we have performed since our last Advisory Group meeting. We would like to review the recommended construction phasing plan for the project going forward. We will also provide an update on some upcoming activities related to the interchange improvements including the interim improvement project and moving forward with surveys. We are also inviting public officials from the area to learn more about the project and its progress.

The summary for the June 30th Issues Workshop is now available for review. The summary documents the construction phasing options presented for discussion during the meeting. Many of the questions from the stakeholders at the meeting included questions about when right-of-way limits would be known, transition between the new construction and existing roadways and concern about how long these improvements could take.
Many in the group were pleased to see plans for the interim improvements of adding additional lanes on I-35 from 119th Street to I-435 and from Quivira Road to I-35 moving forward.

At the Issues Workshop in late June, the study team presented phasing plans of how the project could be constructed. Since then, the study team is refining those plans and discussing what enviromental documentation is needed in order to move forward. We are planning future meetings with the study team in August and will likely be holding an Advisory Group meeting in September. A public meeting is expected at the beginning of 2011.

The Johnson County Gateway Study I-435/I-35/K-10 is mentioned in the American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Report: Case for Capacity: To Unlock Gridlock, Generate Jobs, Deliver Freight and Connect Communities.

The study team held its second Issues Workshop last week to introduce the construction phasing options for the interchange area. The presentation showed two options of how to break the project into smaller, more financially manageable projects. Each option showed 5 or 6 projects that could be considered stand alone projects that would provide benefits to the traveling public. We asked stakeholders to provide their thoughts and comments about the phasing plans. Generally, everyone thought the options addressed the problems in the area and encouraged KDOT to begin as soon as possible.

The Johnson County Gateway Study Team met with representatives from the Johnson County Bicylce Club, Bike America and KanBikeWalk group last night to discuss the proposed improvements. The issue isn’t making the interstates safe for bicyclists, since the bicyclists aren’t allowed to ride on the interstates (nor would they want to). But highways create barriers for cyclists and there has to be a safe way for them to get across the highways.
The bike community provided suggestions for the study team to consider when designing interchanges and emphasized how important striping a bike lane is for safety.
Not all bicyclists feel safe riding on the roads, and that is why many communities have bike paths and trails, but for those cyclists who commute to work or who are road bikers, it is important to them to have that adequate accomodation on the road.
The Gateway study team appreciated hearing their concerns and will consider the appropriate bicycle accomodations where feasible and economical.

Through all the public input to date, one of the top areas of concern was the I-435 westbound to I-35 southbound movement and the complementary I-35 northbound to I-435 eastbound movement. The phase 1 portion of the study also confirmed the need for longer ramps and additional lanes on I-35 and I-435 to help ease the congestion during peak travel times. KDOT is currently working on plans to add additional lanes along I-35 from 119th Street to the I-435 ramps on both the north and southbound lanes. An additional lane will also be added eastbound and westbound on I-435 from the I-35 ramps to Quivira. These improvements would provide congestion relief until such time as the ultimate improvements could be funded and built in the future. These short-term improvements are currently being designed and, should funding become available, construction could begin in the next couple of years, potentially by 2013.

The image shows location for interim improvements along I-435 and I-35.

The Kansas City Business Journal printed an article last week about the Johnson County Gateway Interchange Study. Click on the link to read the article.

A new transportation program is good news for the Johnson County Gateway Interchange Study and for transportation in Kansas. Today’s blog is an excerpt from an e-mail from the KDOT Secretary of Transportation, Deb Miller.

Today, I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that Kansas has a new transportation program: T-WORKS.

The program is built upon two bills (HB 2360 and HB 2650) and both bills have passed the Legislature and have been sent to Governor Mark Parkinson for signature. These two bills provide the funding and the framework for a new transportation program called T-WORKS. Governor Parkinson is supportive of a new transportation program and it is anticipated he will sign both bills.
T-WORKS will provide about $8.2 billion in construction and modal spending over the next 10 years. By comparison, it would take $11 billion to replicate the CTP. T-WORKS is smaller and, I believe, appropriate for our times. It allows the state’s highways to be kept in good condition, provides needed safety improvements, and allows the state to invest strategically in economic opportunities. Just as importantly, it will create or sustain an estimated 60,000 construction jobs and 175,000 total jobs (including suppliers, construction, etc).
While T-WORKS builds on the past success of the CHP and CTP, you will also see new approaches to transportation under this program. From business model changes such as using economic analysis and local consultation when selecting projects to using practical improvement approaches to stretch dollars further, there’s a deep commitment at KDOT to deliver the best set of projects within a given budget in a collaborative and flexible way. We simply can’t wait to get started on T-WORKS! For more information about T-WORKS, click here.

The third Advisory Group meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28. The study team will be presenting information on the concept alternatives reviewed, the preferred improvement concept, and discussing the phasing plan, or how the improvements can be divided into smaller, more manageable projects.