Merriam's $43M Interchange Upgrade: Diverging Diamonds
Kansas City News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · The Daily News Now!
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Show Notes
Merriams Busiest Interchange Gets a Makeover: A Diverging Diamond Design to Tackle Traffic Woes
The city of Merriam in northeast Johnson County is planning significant changes to its busiest interchange, where Shawnee Mission Parkway meets Interstate 35. With nearly 40,000 vehicles daily and rising crash rates, the city has partnered with HNTB Corporation to study and upgrade the interchange.
The proposed solution is a diverging diamond design, which would shift traffic briefly to the other side for safer left turns onto the interstate. This design is expected to reduce crashes by 32 per year and speed up commutes, though it may push more congestion onto the interstate itself.
The project is still in its early stages, with costs estimated at $4.3 million for nearby Antioch Road fixes and $32-$43 million for the new interchange. Merriam needs federal funding and a deal with the Kansas Department of Transportation to proceed. Meanwhile, a similar overhaul is already underway in Olathe.
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