City of Overland Park Connects Parks and Communities with 91st Street Trail

The City of Overland Park, Kansas had plans to construct a mile and a half long trail connection along 91st Street to provide safe pedestrian access to surrounding residential and commercial areas as part their Greenway Linkage Plan. The project received federal funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) as part of the transportation alternatives initiative. This 10-foot-wide trail not only provides a pedestrian connection between Meadowbrook Park and Cherokee Park, but also offers pedestrian access from adjacent neighborhoods to a Metcalf Avenue retail area.

The Affinis team was selected for the project design, which was a collaborative effort with the city’s public works and parks departments. Representatives from both groups attended meetings, so the shared goals were met. Working with the city’s parks department, wayfinding signs and park benches were added along the trail. In addition, ADA sidewalk ramps were constructed, and Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) push button crossings were installed, so all residents could take advantage of this new amenity.

Other key components of the project included signal removals at Glenwood Avenue and Lamar Avenue, along with streetlighting improvements at those intersections. Also, the westbound lane configuration on 91st Street at the Metcalf Avenue intersection was modified to provide space for trail widening by removing a through lane and shifting the right-turn lane. By doing this, valuable parking spaces for adjacent businesses were preserved.

Although this was a new project for Affinis, we were familiar with the area. In the past, we had performed work in Meadowbrook Park and made improvements near Cherokee Park as part of the 2018 NSRP project. This gave us a better understanding of the surrounding neighborhoods from the beginning. Our team recognized the existing challenges and physical constraints that were present.

By completing this section of the trail, Overland Park residents can now walk and bike from Meadowbrook Park to Antioch Road safely. This new pathway adds a valuable amenity to local neighborhoods and supports area businesses with new foot traffic.