47th St. Complete Street Construction Beginning next week, construction crews will start working on 47th Street between Mission Rd. and Rainbow Blvd. The road diet and improvements are expected to take eight to 10 months to complete and, once finished, will feature an enhanced experience for walkers, cyclists, and transit users in support of the City’s ongoing Complete Streets planning efforts. Construction crews have planned 10-hour days and at times may also work over the weekends to reduce the number of overall weeks of construction.
For the duration of the project, the contractor is expected to leave an 11-foot east-bound and west-bound travel lane open for bicycles, personal vehicles, and delivery vehicles. No marked bike lanes will be maintained during the construction but cyclists are welcome to use the travel lanes. All road users should remain vigilant and maintain caution during construction and at all times. Cyclists, pedestrians, and construction crews are more vulnerable to injury during construction so we ask that everyone do their part to decrease distractions while using the roadway and to be patient while sharing the road. The Westwood (south) sidewalk will be removed and replaced during the first phase of the project but the contractor is expected to maintain an open sidewalk on at least one side of the road throughout the duration of the project.
Businesses and residents along the corridor will maintain access to their properties and driveways throughout the project and will be notified by the contractor at least 48 hours in advance in the case that temporary disruptions to access are anticipated. For the past 30+ years, Westwood has worked with Roeland Park, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County – Kansas City, Kansas, and other partners to plan improvements to 47th St. between Rainbow Blvd. and Mission Rd. to make the corridor safer and more inviting, as well as to implement other strategies to support existing and future businesses.
This collaboration has resulted in the recommendation of reducing the current four-lane road to a three-lane road and adding bike lanes and pedestrian crosswalks to the corridor. In 2020, these improvements were demonstrated through minor curb modifications, re-striping and the addition of other pavement markings, and minor signal and signage improvements. Following that demonstration project and subsequent utility work, the improvements are now being made permanent. More information relating to the project and planning is available at https://www.westwoodks.org/47thcompletestreet on Westwood’s website.
