For Belton road improvement project, it’s all uphill

A long-awaited road improvement project in Belton recently received a critical boost toward its completion.

Belton has been awarded a $1.92 million grant for the rehabilitation of the North Scott Corridor through the Mid-America Regional Council Surface Transportation Program. The corridor improvement project involves a two-mile stretch from north of Route 58 to south of 155th Street.

The corridor is a heavily trafficked arterial road that was the original U.S. Highway 71.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Belton Mayor Jeff Davis, who praised the work of the city’s development services team, including the planning, building and economic development departments in securing the grant.

“North Scott will soon again be the city’s thriving business corridor and welcome to the rest of our city,” Davis said.

An important part of the project will be a reconfiguration of the street from four lanes to two lanes with a continuous left-turn lane in the north half of the project. Belton City Public Works Director Greg Rokos said the bicycle lanes will be in both directions from Markey Road to 155th Street.

“The new bike lanes will connect to the new bike lanes along 155th Street, which will connect to the all-new Southview Commerce Center, which is anticipated to bring 2,000 jobs,” Rokos said.

“The new corridor is multimodal, so people can either bike or drive to work. This project allows for connections of sidewalks for people to access future bus shelters,” Rokos added. “We are working with our neighboring communities, Grandview and Raymore, to bring bus service to citizens.”

Work on the improvements have been going on for years.

Belton completed a North Scott Corridor plan study in late 2014, with community involvement, and adopted the North Scott Corridor Overlay District and Design Guidelines in late 2017. “Once the city receives the funds, it will be a quick-moving project,” Rokos said.

Rokos said the design will begin 2022 and will not take long. It will go to bid in early 2023 and is anticipated to be completed in 2024.

“The city’s desire to spur economic development and catalyze redevelopment along the corridor has been a long-range, community-driven planning process,” said Belton Economic Development Director Carolyn Yatsook.

Yatsook was a part of the original North Scott Corridor Plan in 2014 and subsequent North Scott Corridor Overlay District and Design Guidelines in 2017.

“Although I am beyond pleased for our entire community at receiving this grant, I am most excited for the legacy businesses and stakeholders on North Scott to finally see progress and investment in the corridor’s future,” Yatsook said.

The project is welcomed news for the community.

“Many of the legacy North Scott businesses have been waiting to invest in their businesses to see what the city will do to invest in this roadway,” said Jerry Weidenmann, of Weidenmann Inc., located on North Scott. “We know the critical importance of the professional appearance and contemporary functionality of this corridor that is the doorway to our companies and the gateway to all of Belton.”

Weidenmann has been in business on North Corridor for 25 years.

“We have plans to demolish an underutilized building and have submitted a Final Development Plan for a 7,600-square-foot of office and warehouse building,” Wiedenmann said “I am also an investor in other vacant parcels along North Scott and intend to develop those.”