The $21. 5 million construction project to renovate the K-7 and Johnson Drive intersection began Monday, March 22. Once the interchange project is completed, Johnson Drive/55th Street will run under K-7. Two roundabouts will be constructed as part of the project, one under the bridge of the interchange and one west of K-7 on 55th Street.
According to KDOT Engineer Administrator Paul Gripka, the reason for the project is to allow traffic to move more freely and help decrease traffic volume.
The project, which originates back to 2002, is scheduled for completion at the end of August 2011. Currently construction is underway to build the overpass, but not without disturbing local businesses and traffic flow.
“Businesses in the area are apprehensive about the project because it limits the easy access to their businesses, potentially reducing the number of customers during already tough economic times,” Gripka said.
Due to the project they’ve had to close down the intersection at K-7 and Johnson Drive. As a result the normal routine of many people who travel the roadway on a daily basis has been changed.
For bookkeeper Deb Johnson, who lives on the west side of K-7, it’s been a difficult adjustment having to travel a different route to school everyday by taking K-7 to Shawnee Mission Parkway.
“I’ve been late coming to school. The other day I left five minutes later than normal and by the time I got to school I was 10 minutes late,” Johnson said.
Not only has Johnson had to learn to leave home earlier, but also to remember to take the newly added detours.
“Sometimes if I totally space out about the construction, I’ll take the route I’ve taken for 25 years, and then remember that I can’t go that way,” Johnson said. “It’s just inconvenient.”
With the new detours in place, police are at large to prevent speeding through neighborhoods.
According to Sergeant Baker of the Traffic Division there has been 175 to 250 tickets given out. Johnson experienced this the first day of its construction.
“I went home that front road by Woodsonia that Monday and there were four cops, sitting there with their radar guns,” Johnson said.
Senior Sam Sloop, who normally takes 47th Street to Woodsonia Drive to school, almost got busted by the police.
“I was going about 33 mph and the person in front of me was going about that too,” Sloop said. “The cop got behind me and just as I was getting ready to pull over, he went past me and pulled over the person in front of me.”
However, speeding through Woodsonia Drive is nothing new for Sloop.
“I always take that road and speed. It’s ridiculous to go only 25 mph through there,” Sloop said.
While leaving early and driving slow have all been frustrating to people that routinely use the detours, senior Jaclynne Putney thinks the most annoying part of the construction is that she thinks it could still be open for use.
“Right now they’re just putting in studs for the overpass next to Johnson Drive. So I think it could still easily be open,” Putney said. “It’s just really annoying, because everyday I see it and I wonder why it had to happen the last quarter of high school.”
On the other hand, Sloop is glad it’s happened when it has.
“I’m so glad I’m graduating and not going to be here for all of this,” Sloop said.
While the construction definitely has its setbacks Sloop understands how it will be beneficial in the long run.
“I can really see how it could stop potential accidents,” Sloop said.
