‘Watch out for the ditch!’: KC area town has plans — and money — to improve dangerous road
Emilee Shelton moved to Northmoor, east of Parkville in Platte County, for its proximity to the city without what she described as the cons of living inside Kansas City proper.
She lives on the main road in the small town, which is often busy with speeding cars, causing her to always leash her dog.
Alongside the road are large ditches several feet deep where sewer drains are located.
While the ditches don’t worry her, she often worries that one of her visitors will back into the ditches in front of her home.
“I’m always like ‘watch out for the ditch!” she said.
Hopefully, that will change soon with an upcoming project to improve the road and its surrounding area.
Roadwork in Northland community
Platte County was awarded a $6.8 million grant from the federal government administered by the Mid-America Regional Council to pay for improvements to Missouri Route AA/Waukomis Drive, stretching from U.S. 69 in Riverside to Interstate 29. The roadway, built in the 1940s, is located in Northmoor, a small town of around 300 people.
Lynda Wilson, the city’s mayor for nearly a decade, said the boost is badly needed. There aren’t guardrails or traffic barriers to prevent cars from going into the deep ditches along the road.
Travis Baker, 31, lives along the road with his wife and their six children ages 1-15.
“Their school is just down the road,” he said, “It’s definitely not safe for them to walk, which would be a huge thing for us so we can get to, you know, experience that.”
The ditches have also become a problem for the family and their neighbors. Although the land is technically owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation, residents have taken on the responsibility for their upkeep.
Baker said drivers often throw trash into the ditches and drains and that the city does nothing to help them out.
Wilson also said people throw tires down there, and even cars have gotten stuck when the road gets slippery.
She said she’s been pushing for this project for at least five years.
“We have these ditches, for most communities around here, they’re not dealing with anything like this at all,” said Wilson. “When you take into account that QuikTrip, Red X and numerous places deliver here in the community, these ditches are a nightmare.”
There also aren’t any sidewalks along the road, an environmental issue that Wes Minder, the Platte County administrator, pointed out.
The proposed improvement will be a two-lane street complete with curbs, sidewalks, modern street lights and a stormwater conveyance system, according to the county.
As folks are moving to the Northland, Wilson said she’s noticed that Northmoor is gaining some traction with development companies and popularity with younger families. Right now, Wilson said, the majority of the town’s population is made up of senior citizens and retired people, but she can see the demographics slowly changing.
The small town still has some work to do with modernizing its infrastructure, particularly the Missouri route.
Northmoor has added a park close to the busy street where semi trucks and other cars often speed through. Without sidewalks, Wilson said it’s very dangerous, especially for kids and a resident who uses an electric wheelchair.
Where are the project’s funds coming from?
Although the project will be funded by a competitive grant, it only covers 80% of it. The other 20% will come from local taxes. The project is expected to cost $8-9 million in total, said Minder, but could fluctuate depending on the future cost of supplies. Construction is expected to begin in 2028.
The next step for the county is to speak with residents and engineers.
Minder said improving roads and streets has been a plan for the county for a while, and they plan to continue to improve more.
“It’s just part of the long-range plan to reinvest in some of our older streets in the southern part of the county where we don’t have sidewalks, so people have a safe way to get to transit,” said Minder.