Intersection Realignment Increases Safety for Prairie Village Residents

The lanes at the intersection of Cambridge Street and State Line Road didn’t line up, causing safety issues and slowed traffic. To support residents and area businesses, the City of Prairie Village needed to make changes to this busy corridor bordering Kansas City, Missouri.

Our team kicked off the project by performing topographic and boundary surveys at the site, which is home to local residents and commercial businesses. A grocery store, restaurants, bank, and an early education center are located along the intersection. A large number of houses and a park are nearby as well.

Data from the survey was used to create a conceptual layout. The suggested design changed the geometrics of the median and curbing on Meadow Lake Parkway. It also widened the radius of the roadway and closed one of the Cambridge Street entrances to the Hy-Vee gas station. These changes were aimed at boosting traffic flow and reducing the likelihood of collisions.

Getting proper drainage here also posed a challenge. The area is flat, which caused stormwater issues that impacted nearby lots and the pavement itself. By manipulating the road’s profile, our team was able to solve this issue. Along with these changes, we also made improvements to the area’s storm sewer design.

Due to the project’s location, the designs were reviewed by our client, the City of Prairie Village, as well as the City of Kansas City, MO. We worked with both entities to define plans, coordinating with stakeholders at both municipalities.

In addition to these changes, the City of Kansas City, Missouri was ready to update the intersection’s signals within the project site. To minimize impacts on businesses, both cities decided to have their improvements constructed at the same time.

Our Traffic Team developed a traffic control plan to maintain access to all properties during construction. Coordinating between both cities, as well as the contractor, helped us develop a plan that allowed for all work to occur simultaneously. This information was incorporated into the overall plan, so we could make the project area available for the signal replacements when needed.

Along with multiple municipalities, this area is home to many utilities. We worked with KC Water, AT&T, and Kansas Gas Service to coordinate, design, and create a minimally impactful construction plan. In addition to external stakeholders, we also collaborated with Affinis co-workers outside this project team. Our firm is designing sidewalk replacements on State Line and Somerset, as well as a mill and overlay on Cambridge – all of which tie into the intersection improvements.

While design is complete on this project, construction is currently underway. Follow our firm on social media to see completed photos of these improvements.