The design-build process has begun on a new section of Ridgeview Road that will connect Kansas Highway 10 to Prairie Star Parkway.

Once this project is completed, the new road will provide a vital transportation connection and open up the surrounding area to new development opportunities.

A long road to progress Staff have been working with adjacent property owners to move the Ridgeview Road project forward for some time. But subsurface mining, rough and rocky terrain and environmental mitigation meant the roadway construction and
associated development would be difficult and expensive.

Recently, the cities of Lenexa and Olathe partnered with the Kansas Department of Transportation to improve the K-10/ Ridgeview interchange as part of the Johnson County Gateway Project. This improvement, along with an increased interest in developing the area's surface and subsurface land, has made
construction of the roadway viable.

The project at a glance

As design begins, we know the project will entail:

• Constructing Ridgeview Road as a four-lane, divided arterial roadway, including a 250-foot bridge over
  Mill Creek.

• Constructing 99th Street from Britton Street west to Ridgeview Road.

• Intersection improvements at Ridgeview Road/Prairie Star
  Parkway.

• Construction of 98th Street, which will provide a second access point into the Meritex subsurface development.

• Construction of about 2 acres of wetlands west of Ridgeview Road and south of Mill Creek Streamway
  Park to replace a half acre of wetlands that will be disturbed near the park.

Traffic & trail impacts

Disruptions to transit and trails are expected to be limited during the project. The parking lot at the Little Mill Creek Trailhead will move to a temporary location while work is completed nearby.
This work is tentatively scheduled for early spring of 2019.

For 60 days or less, Prairie Star Parkway may be reduced to one lane in each direction. And, the northbound lanes of Ridgeview Road over K-10 and the westbound exit ramp may close for one
full weekend.

Moving forward

A public project meeting on March 15 helped to gather feedback that will influence the final design. Staff is working with a team from Pyramid Contractors, Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting and Lochner to develop design options to present to the City Council.

The project is expected to be complete by November 2019.

(published March 16, 2018)