Leawood to widen sidewalks, narrow busy street after outcry from worried parents

Hours before speaking to the Leawood City Council Monday evening, 8-year-old Adam Duede rode his bike to school. It was the first time since a car had hit him on that same route on 83rd Street in October.

“I don’t want any other person ever falling into the street, so can you put a fence so no more bikers, walkers, scooters, even people with strollers fall into the street?” the young resident said during the public comment period of Monday’s meeting.

Adam, alongside his mom, Kari, and several other parents, came forward during the meeting to support a proposal submitted by the Bike/Walk Committee to widen sidewalks and add crosswalks on 83rd Street to make it safer for pedestrians.

The discussion comes as Leawood looks to make road improvements citywide and as parents push for expanded sidewalks, crosswalks and other features to make it safer to walk or bike in their neighborhoods.

“We are focused tonight on 83rd Street, that doesn’t mean we are ignoring all the other places,” City Council member Alan Sunkel said during the meeting. “It’s all over, it’s not just up north. But they feel it more up north because those streets were designed in the 1940s.”

Leawood last reconstructed 83rd Street in 1995, which includes 4-foot sidewalks separated from the curb and 5-foot sidewalks where they are directly against the back of the curb.

On Monday night, the Leawood City Council unanimously approved a route that would narrow the roadway, modify storm sewer structures, and install 5-foot sidewalks — giving some areas a 2-foot buffer between the back of curbs and the sidewalks and others with one-and-a-half feet.

Widening the sidewalks would shrink the road from 32 feet to 29 feet, which still meets fire code requirements to allow emergency vehicles through the road.

Additionally, the city plans to modify traffic signals at 83rd Street and Lee Boulevard and 83rd and State Line Road to restrict left-turning vehicles while the pedestrian signal is activated, and install a rectangular rapid flashing beacon crossing 83rd Street at the north leg of Wenonga Road.

Mayor Marc Elkins said that this decision isn’t the final resolution but a starting point for many future, ongoing discussions around pedestrian safety.

“My view, when it comes down to where we are today, is that the situation seems to be dire enough that we need to get the safety measures in as soon as possible,” Elkins said. “And that’s not to suggest that it’s the final answer. There needs to be a strategic plan … on an ongoing basis.”

Public Works Director David Ley told the City Council that he is planning to meet with a contractor this week to discuss the amended plan. Part of that may include the city getting easements on properties they don’t have the right-of-way in order to widen the sidewalks.

The current $5.3 million price tag for the project may change depending on the work, but Ley anticipates that estimated costs will come back to the City Council in January and staff anticipates that plans will be ready for bid by the end of March 2026.

This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 5:53 AM.