Utility relocations have recently begun along the corridor and will continue through 2011 and into late 2012. This is necessary to allow enough time to prepare for construction of the roadway improvements. Major construction will be under way in 2013-14. Once the project is bid and a contractor is selected, a public meeting will be held to share detailed construction phasing and a timeline for completion.

While it is too early to know exactly how the construction sequencing or traffic control during construction will be phased, in general, it is proposed that the project will be constructed in phases with limited through traffic at all times. In certain circumstances, through traffic may be detoured from 127th Street. Drivers will be able to access residences and Olathe East High School from the east or west at all times, but not directly through the entire mile. Due to the reconstruction of bridges and structures along the project, closing portions at a time will allow for expedited construction. As the design progresses, and certainly before construction would begin, information concerning traffic control will be made available to the public. Continue to check www.improve127th.com for more information!

127th Street from Black Bob to Pflumm will look much like the section from Mur-Len to Black Bob when complete. The roadway will be a four-lane divided arterial with turn lanes and a traffic signal will be added at the intersection of 127th & Greenwood. In Fall 2011 improvements and landscaping on the medians from Mur-Len to Black Bob will take place and this look will carry through to the east, including trees, shrubs, flowers, and some stamped concrete at intersections.

Discussions with affected property owners will be initiated by the city in Winter 2011-12. Eminent domain may run concurrent with property acquisition in order to keep the project on schedule. This is a normal part of the process for capital improvement projects with federal funding.

An 8-foot multi-use path will be constructed along one side of the roadway, with a regular sidewalk on the other side. Improved connections to the Indian Creek trail adjacent to 127th Street will also be constructed. The main roadway will be striped as "share the road" multi-modal accommodations including a wider outside lane for non-vehicular travel, which allowed the city to obtain $4.7 million in Federal funds for the project.

Due to sight restrictions and overall concern for safety, access at Rene will remain a right-in right-out intersection. The intersection with Gallery to the west will be full access and U-turns will be allowed for drivers needing to access Rene Street from the east. U-turns will also be allowed at Pflumm Road for drivers needing access to the west from Rene.

In 2007, the City of Olathe invited residents along the 127th Street corridor to provide input as part of a concept study for future roadway improvements. Two public meetings were held in 2007, one to receive input from the residents of Olathe and the second meeting was to show conceptual layouts of the new corridor with the information collected at the first public meeting. With the initial study and preliminary concepts complete, the City has hired an engineering design consultant, GBA, to evaluate the study report and move forward with preliminary design to improve 127th Street from Black Bob to Pflumm. Improvements will entail widening the corridor to a four-lane divided roadway for the purpose of improving safety and reducing congestion. In recent weeks, GBA survey crews have been in the neighborhood collecting land survey data to begin the design process.

Due to budget constraints, the City only has funding available for design at this time. Future phases will include utility relocation, land acquisition, and construction; for which funds are currently in place as part of the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) in 2014. In the meantime, the City will investigate ways to accelerate the schedule and allocate funds.

To learn more about the preliminary plans for the proposed improvements, revisit this website to view project documents and watch for public meeting announcements. To provide feedback, please plan to attend the open house meetings, or click here (to go to Feedback/Comments).

Concept Plans: Black Bob to Pflumm

  

Click on the graphic for a larger representation.