City of Lee’s Summit Plans for Future Growth Along Pryor Road

The City of Lee’s Summit, MO has been rapidly expanding over the years. To keep pace with the growth, they have strategically leveraged taxpayer dollars. Although Pryor Road, from Hook Road to MO-150, has been largely undeveloped, the City anticipates growth and increased traffic volumes for this segment in the future.

They asked our traffic team to conduct a study to guide their next steps. To do this, we looked at the existing conditions and predicted traffic volumes in 2026, the earliest it would be constructed and 2046, the horizon year. We also collected growth rates from the City to incorporate in our calculations.

There were three variables we considered when compiling our report. The first was the development areas that are not completely built out, six subdivisions. For that, we calculated what could be added by 2046 and included that data in our projections. Next, we accounted for the possibility of a new area middle school and high school. Lastly, 1,000 acres of land near this section of Pryor Road is owned by PRI and has the potential to be sold. Knowing that, we had to establish a rough idea of how new commercial and residential development on this property could impact traffic.

With the data in hand, we began evaluating roadway configurations. Specifically, we were asked to consider three-lane, four-lane undivided, and four-lane divided cross sections, as well as turn lanes and a traffic signal. We reviewed each option using the traffic data we collected and information from a crash analysis.

We found the current pavement could be striped as a three-lane section, which would provide an acceptable level of service for the existing traffic volume. However, it will not handle future, projected traffic volumes at an acceptable level. Also, traffic on Pryor Road is generally travelling at or within 2-3 mph of the speed limit, resulting in no perceived speeding problems within the study corridor. Analysis additionally showed that future projected volumes at the Kline Avenue intersection meet warrants for turn-lanes and a traffic signal.

Our team then compiled those findings into a completed report. In that document, we provided recommendations and outlined a variety of options. With the results in hand, Lee’s Summit has the information needed to best move their community forward.