Maple Street improvement work to begin this month
A major road improvement project will soon get underway on West Maple Street in Independence. The project will include street widening; the addition of curb, gutter and storm sewer from 21st Street west to 28th Street; and milling and overlaying the street from 17th to just west of the Whiskey Creek Bridge.
According to City Engineer John Garris, traffic control devices will be set along the street beginning on Monday, January 18, and construction work could begin as early as January 31.
The project was originally announced in July 2020, when the City was awarded nearly $1.6 million from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to assist with improvements to a stretch of Maple Street from 17th Street west to Peter Pan Road.
The funding is part of KDOT’s Cost Share Program, which supports transportation-related projects and requires a percentage of matching investment by the local entity. The proposed Maple Street project is estimated to cost $2,635,452, she said, with KDOT providing $1,594,089 and the City matching at $1,041,363.
Garris explained the project will include widening the street to 24 feet of driving surface from the Whiskey Creek Bridge to Peter Pan and moving ditches away from the edge of the pavement. This section of Maple Street is currently narrow and plagued by ruts, failing pavement and immediate deep ditches and requires nearly constant repair, he said. He also noted that with multiple heavy industries located along the street, as well as its function of connecting south Independence with Walmart and Labette Health’s Independence Health Care Center, the street is highly traveled, and improvements are critically needed to optimize safety and commercial operations.
Completion of the project is anticipated in the third quarter of 2022, Garris said.
“We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we regulate traffic along Maple Street for the next several months in order to provide a much-improved, safer driving experience,” he said.