June 3, 2024 Update
City Staff have completed the process with the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) to decline Railroad Crossing Elimination Program Grant funding, which will allow the project to move forward without Federal funding. As discussed in the February 21, 2024 Update, the City will plan to construct 119th Street improvements as previously proposed, without the closure of Woodland at the BNSF tracks at Northgate. Currently, Staff are working with BNSF to get their final plan approval of the bridges, and to get appropriate agreements with BNSF in place in order to start construction. In concurrence with this coordination, staff are also working to finalize construction documents, to allow construction to move forward by the end of this year, 2024.
February 21, 2024 Update
After discussion with City Council during the February 6 Council Meeting, staff brought forward a resolution to re-authorize the 119th Street Extension Project without Federal Rail Administration (FRA) funding, which was approved by Council on February 20, 2024. This resolution will allow the 119th Street project to move forward without participation in the FRA’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Program. The City will plan to construct 119th Street improvements as previously proposed, without the closure of Woodland at the BNSF tracks at Northgate. This should allow construction to commence later this year. Staff will continue to post updates as they are available.
February 2, 2024 Update
During the February 6 City Council meeting, staff will be providing an update to City Council on the status of the City’s progress to date with the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) and Railroad Crossing Elimination Program (RCEP) grant funding as it relates to the 119th Street Project. Any updates after the discussion will continue to be posted to the City’s website under Project Updates.
August 31, 2023 Update
Final design is continuing to progress as the City hopes to finalize proposed improvements in 2024. Staff will be recommending approval of a Supplemental Agreement with the City's Consultant, HDR, at an upcoming City Council meeting on September 5, 2023. This Agreement will allow the City's consultant to continue their work and finish final design of this project, including corridor and bridge improvements that need to be finalized. The Agreement will also allow for continued coordination with the FRA, as the City considers acceptance of federal funds (approx. $18 million). The City recently met with representatives from the FRA, and it was communicated that an agreement could take 6-15 months to put into place. City Council would still need to approve any FRA Agreement at that time, to accept those federal funds.
June 5, 2023 Update
With the announcement the City was awarded Federal Railroad Crossing Elimination Program Funds, there will be impacts to the project schedule to account for additional Agreements and Federal Permitting Requirements. The City has already proactively planned for these possibilities and has progressed design, but it is likely construction would now start in 2024, with the Woodland Closure happening in 2026, once the 119th Street extension is open to traffic. The City will continue to post updates to our website as they are available.
September 13, 2022 Update
As approved through City Council, the project is moving forward with planned installation of a roundabout at 119th Street and Northgate, with intersection improvements through the project corridor along 119th Street. This project is progressing from the preliminary design phase into final design. The City is working to gather information and resolve utility conflicts throughout the project corridor, with presence of utility companies to be expected on-site. Any property owners impacted by the project can expect land acquisition to begin in Fall of 2022, with City representatives reaching out individually as needed.
September 14, 2021 Update
The project is currently in the preliminary design phase with staff working on alignment options. The preferred alternative options will be presented at the public meeting on Thursday, September 30, 2021. Information for this virtual meeting can be found under the Public Information Meeting section.
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April 12, 2021 Update
Beginning the week of April 19, crews will begin geotechnical boring in the area. View the boring locations and the relative paths that the machine will take to access each location. Boring activity will continue through the first week of May.
March 31, 2021 Update
Over the next few weeks, survey crews will be in the area to continue to collect data to begin preliminary design on this project. This work includes:
- Marking trees (with paint or ribbons) for survey purposes only
- Staking boring locations to determine the geotechnical details and subsurface data in the area.
Following the survey work in mid-to-late April, geotechnical investigation will begin. This work will include boring at various locations (all locations are on City of Olathe or BNSF property) and will require a bore rig. These locations do not define any roadway or bridge locations, they are for data collection purposes only.
This is a picture of the type of machine that will be used. This is a self-mobilized machine that was chosen to minimize clearing needs. Staff will be in the area over the next couple of weeks to determine the best path (that requires the least amount of removals) for the machine to access boring sites.
In order to access some of these areas, there will be a need for some tree/brush removal. Staff will work with all parties involved to minimize this impact.
HDR will also be gathering data for their noise evaluation and will place multiple pieces of equipment in various areas throughout the area.
This is a picture of the type of machine that will be used. The equipment resembles a large microphone on a tripod. This equipment will be placed in mid-to-late April and will have an informational sheet attached to the stand.
