Shawnee, one of only two Bicycle Friendly Communities in Kansas, is getting set to add more bike lanes to roads within their city.
The Shawnee City Council recently approved building Monticello Road from Midland Drive south to 79th Street as a four-lane road in width, but striped as a three-lane road with bicycle lanes. Previous plans had called for a 4-lane roadway, with a recreational trail on the west side and a sidewalk on the east side. The council approved the change even though it could cost up to $25,000 more to do so, due to increased striping costs, bike lane symbols, turn arrows in the center lane, and on-street bicycle signage.
However, building the road four-lane width, and striping it as three lanes, may save the city money at the intersections along the road, which wouldn’t have to be as wide. Estimates showed that with more than 2,000 feet of turn lanes, the city could save about $500,000 between costs for buying additional right of way, asphalt and grading.
In addition to saving money overall, the move also serves to appease residents who worried that the city was buying more right of way than it needed. The council said that striping the road as three lanes would also encourage traffic to slow down. The three-lane roadway will also provide better continuity along the road, since it is three lanes in Lenexa, two or three lanes north of Johnson Drive, and may be three lanes for at least a portion of the length from Shawnee Mission Parkway to Johnson Drive.
Read more: Council gives OK to bike lanes
Post tags: Bike Lanes, Shawnee
