July 30, 2019 . . . . KC Parks and City officials hosted a groundbreaking today for the commencement of construction on the Maplewoods Parkway Project in the Northland.
Currently, North Woodland from NE 96th Street to Shoal Creek Parkway is an unimproved narrow two lane roadway. No bicycle and pedestrian facilities are available along this corridor, and this corridor also has high accident rate. North Woodland Ave. serves one high school and several elementary schools, and the North Kansas City School District makes over 2000 bus trips on this substandard corridor. Hills along this corridor hinder sight distance for multiple intersections and the four-way stops create unnecessary travel delays.
The Maplewoods Parkway project will reconstruct and upgrade this segment of North Woodland Ave. to a two-lane parkway. Proposed improvements include storm drainage systems, roadway lighting, sidewalks, a multi-use path, on-street bike lanes, raised green medians, and landscaping. The intersections at NE 96th Street, NE 100th Street/New Mark Drive, NE 106th Street, and Shoal Creek Parkway will be reconstructed as roundabouts to improve traffic safety and traffic flow.
City Council District 1 and Council District 2 each provided $2 million in-district PIAC funding towards this project. This $4 million PIAC funding, combined with the $6 million federal grant and funds from the GO Bond infrastructure program, provided necessary funding for this important project.