'Gateway' traffic triangle plans under way

One of the Kansas City metro area's busiest interchanges will soon become known as the Johnson County Gateway.

Kansas Department of Transportation has launched an involved study of the county's traffic "triangle" - the Interstate 435/Interstate 35/Kansas Highway 10 interchange. The study is in the early stages, so KDOT officials are quick to point out that there is no funding in place for reconstructing the interchange, a project that is about two years from breaking ground and will have to be planned in multiple phases.

The study area is defined as I-435 from Quivira Road to 95th Street, I-35 from 95th to 119th Street and K-10 from Ridgeview to I-435. The purpose of the study is to develop an ultimate design concept and prioritize recommendations that improve the safety, mobility and efficiency of the interchange.

Funded by federal monies, the study is costing $2.3 million, which includes hiring HNTB as project consultant and utilizing KDOT staff. Study partners are Mid-America Regional Council, Johnson County, Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park and the Federal Highway Administration.

According to KDOT officials, due to the anticipated increase of commercial and commuter traffic, the study will consider a range of multimodal approaches to meet current and future transportation needs through 2040.

The population is estimated to increase by more than 40 percent by 2040 and the county is projected to have the most jobs in the metro area. If growth occurs as planned, traffic through the interchange will increase by 57 percent, from 230,000 vehicles to 360,000 per day.

Regional traffic generators expected to have an impact on the I-435/I-35/K-10 interchange are the Kansas Speedway Hotel and Casino, Schlitterbahn water park, Sunflower Redevelopment, Gardner Intermodal, Corporate Woods, CenterPoint, and Kansas State University BioSciences. KDOT officials said the region's economic vitality relies on the continuity and efficiency of the transportation system.

"It really is a gateway," Kim Qualls, KDOT public affairs manager, said. "It's an interchange that provides for a lot of interesting issues: safety, merchandise movements, business and commuters. There's a lot to evaluate. We have to look at city and county plans for redevelopment, the long-range outlook for projected growth, different alternatives and the impacts of those alternatives. It takes time to develop a plan for such a large, complex project."

Tom Gerend, Mid-America Regional Council assistant director of transportation, said the gateway serves a significant role in the regional transportation network.

"The interchange is critical to regional travel movements and will continue to be critical in the years and decades to come," Gerend said. "The modeling work we've done related to this corridor indicates that it's going to continue to grow in terms of the travel demand that moves through and accesses it. We have to ensure that there’s adequate capability to handle current issues and future needs."

In the first phase of the study, engineers are looking at existing infrastructure to determine the condition of pavement and bridges. Reports show the bridges are in good shape and the pavement has received patching and overlays, but there is limited "service life" left in the pavement. Also, design standards and guidelines have changed since portions of the highways were built as far back as the 1960s.

"This is a key interchange for Johnson County and it’s important that it functions well," Steve Schooley, Lenexa transportation manager, said. "Looking at the data analysis, certainly during peak times, it does not function very well. The geometry or configuration of ramps are not adequate and don’t meet current standards. It’s important to establish a plan that can be built and developed to resolve not only the issues that are there today, but also to make sure that we can accommodate future traffic through that interchange."

Qualls said concepts from reconstruction to transportation alternatives such as lane management or metering are being considered. Due to limited funding and the amount of congestion that exists, KDOT is looking at all modes of transportation being encompassed.

"There will probably have to be some additional lanes and some bridges replaced. We’ll also be looking to see if there’s any short-term, cost-effective alternatives that we can do to help ease traffic through that interchange," Qualls said. "A lot of the issues we have are the ramp movements are too short and the lanes are not long enough to handle the acceleration and deceleration of the traffic."

Qualls said a possible short-term fix might be adding a second exit lane from I-435 eastbound to I-35 southbound.

"35 South also is merging with 435 westbound (traffic) that’s exiting there, so you’ve got two lanes coming into one and then everything’s merging onto I-35," she said. "It might be something as simple as adding a lane there."

The interchange’s exit ramps and merging lanes were identified as primary concerns during the study’s first public meeting, which took place May 14 at the Lenexa Conference Center. Attendees learned about the existing conditions of the interchange area, reviewed future traffic projections and expressed their issues and concerns, such as congestion, delays and funding. Two more public meetings are planned for next year.

Also, KDOT has conducted interviews with community leaders, stakeholders and residents, and appointed a Gateway advisory group of civic, business and government decision-makers who represent local, regional and statewide perspectives. Qualls said input from the public will help planners and engineers develop recommendations that meet the transportation needs of commuters and travelers.

KDOT recently launched www.jocogateway.com, which provides project details and updates and offers community surveys about interchange usage.

"Our online presence is what we’re doing to push the information out there and continue receiving public input," Qualls said. "We’re considering doing an online public meeting featuring the boards and visuals from the presentations. We have come up with concepts in order to start a talking discussion. We will have more opportunities for public input."

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