by Mary Rupert
What should K-32 look like in the future?
About 50 or so years ago, K-32 in Wyandotte County was described in tourism literature as a “scenic highway.”
It runs along the Kansas River through Wyandotte County and there are bluffs and scenic woods around it in some places, and in other places, there are industries and businesses.
In later years, K-32 was dwarfed by I-70 running east and west through the county.
Now, plans are being made for the future of K-32. A K-32 Multimodal Redevelopment plan will study K-32 from 57th Street to the western limits of Bonner Springs, according to Stephen Lachky, transportation planner with the Mid-America Regional Council.
Residents are asked to attend a public meeting tonight or Wednesday night to give their comments on how K-32 should be redeveloped.
Tonight’s public meeting will start at 6 p.m. at the Grinter Place Friends’ barn, 1400 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kan. On Wednesday, residents may attend a public meeting at 6 p.m. at Edwardsville Community Center, 696 S. 3rd St., Edwardsville, Kan.
Planners want to get the public’s opinions about what is important to them, according to Lachky. Since the study project is funded with federal transportation dollars, it will be looking at congestion, access, land use, aesthetics, development, flood plain, a quiet zone for railroad trains near the corridor, trail connections, complete streets, lighting, sidewalks or crosswalk improvements, he said. Comments on other concerns about K-32 also are welcome.
“It’s really just looking at the things the community values,” he said. “Their vision for K-32.”
Do members of the public see the highway as just a way to get from one place to another fast, or are they looking at it in a different way, he asked. Do they prefer one type or another of development – business, parks, trails – in certain targeted areas? Should more funds be concentrated on bike and pedestrian improvements and buses, or on roads for vehicles?
There is a strong industry and business component to the K-32 corridor as well, he added, with opportunities for more development along the highway.
A “quiet zone” study is underway, scheduled for a 5 p.m. Feb. 22 presentation at Kansas City, Kan., City Hall, and ways of limiting noise at the railroad crossings near the K-32 corridor are under discussion.
More public meetings on the K-32 corridor plan may be scheduled toward the end of March in Kansas City, Kan., and Bonner Springs. The goal is for the study to be completed by the beginning of August and to be adopted by September of this year, he said.
The study will give three communities – Kansas City, Kan., Edwardsville and Bonner Springs – ideas for pursuing federal funding in the future, Lachky said. At this time there is no funding allotted for the improvements.
Having a plan with community comments will allow the communities to be competitive in their future applications for funds, because they will have identified community needs, he said.
Those who cannot attend the public meetings on K-32 redevelopment may give their comments on a website, answering some short questions, through Feb. 12, he said. The website is at k32.digicate.com.