The problemWhen Brian O’Donnell rides the Indian Creek Trail to the Corporate Woods area of Johnson County, he finds the bike path closed by construction on U.S. 69. He wants to know what the plans are for interchanges at Interstate 435, College Boulevard and 119th Street. And he’s eager to know when the trail will reopen.
“Trying to navigate the trail from any direction takes a lot of creativity,” the Overland Park resident said. “I know a number of citizens who are a little ticked about the poor guidance.”The answerThe highway project, to be completed in late 2013, involves work along I-435 from U.S. 69 to Interstate 35 and on U.S. 69 from 103rd Street to 119th, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation website.The simple answer on many of the interchanges is that drivers will have to decide earlier whether they want to exit or go straight on either U.S. 69 or I-435.Often, those exiting will use a separate “collector-distributor” network — similar to the long stretches of road at the Nall/Roe interchange on I-435. This layout removes the “bobbing and weaving” traffic from the main highway and gives drivers more time to get into the correct lane.You can find links to some cool simulations and maps at www.ksdot.org/kcmetro/projectstudytest.asp. The trail should reopen in June. Overland Park officials say the Switzer Road bridges have been delayed by a gas line. Brian Shields, Overland Park’s city traffic engineer, agrees the detour signage is marginal and says the city plans to talk with KDOT about enhancing guidance for bikers until the trail reopens.The current highway project focuses mainly on the west side of U.S. 69, Shields said, but the full overhaul of the interchanges at College and 119th are “many bags of money down the road.”The Watchdog wonders why few taxpayers bat an eye about spending “many bags of money” on highways, but get stingy when the discussion turns to buses, rails or trails.Read more The Watchdog
Posted on Tue, Jan. 31, 2012 09:13 PM
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The Watchdog | It’s hard to pedal around highway construction
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