91st & Lexington Roundabout
De Soto's 5-Year Capital Improvements Plan allocates $1.25 Million for a 2-lane roundabout at the intersection of 91st and Lexington Avenue. Construction is scheduled for the summer of 2021. The project will be partly funded by a $455,000 allocation from the Johnson County CARS Program.
The project is needed to alleviate a significant congestion problem that occurs when school traffic is at its peak in the mornings and afternoons on school days. After consideration of numerous alternatives, a roundabout was selected as the only solution that will solve the congestion problem without causing other, more serious issues. This conclusion was based on recommendations from several traffic studies conducted over the past 18 years which recommend against the installation of a traffic signal.
Timeline
- 2002: Lexington Avenue Study by BWR - Recommended against signal
- 2005: Study by BWR - Recommended against signal
- 2008: Study by HNTB and KU School of Engineering - Updated traffic counts and confirmed 2005 recommendations. Suggested Roundabouts.
- 2012: Lexington Avenue Corridor Plan incorporated the roundabout at the intersection
- 2018: Study by WSP - Recommended roundabout
- The most recent study, conducted in 2018, recommends a roundabout as the most effective solution to address the current congestion issue and also fully account for future additional traffic. As part of the study, the consultant produced a series of videos that depict live-action renderings of the function of a roundabout at the intersection. These videos are available here.
- The most recent study, conducted in 2018, recommends a roundabout as the most effective solution to address the current congestion issue and also fully account for future additional traffic. As part of the study, the consultant produced a series of videos that depict live-action renderings of the function of a roundabout at the intersection. These videos are available here.
- 2019: The Roundabout was included in the 5-Year CIP
- June 2020: De Soto hired Affinis Corporation to perform the engineering design for the project.
- August 12, 2020:A virtual public info session meeting was held. The recording from that meeting is available at the link below.
- Roundabout Public Info Session
- Below is a list of commonly asked questions, with timestamps from the public info session meeting recording when they were addressed:
- Can semis and buses fit? Does the Fire Chief support this? (18:57 & 41:30)
- Is this safe for pedestrians, especially kids? (13:57)
- Why do we even need this? Is it necessary with the two new access points? (27:47 & 36:27)
- What about similar roundabouts at schools like Blue Valley High School or teen drivers? (16:09, 22:53 & 35:06)
- Is a traffic light cheaper and better? (9:23 & 15:22)
- What’s the timeline? (32:02)
- The meeting presentation materials can be found here: /DocumentCenter/View/1316
- Below is a list of commonly asked questions, with timestamps from the public info session meeting recording when they were addressed:
- Roundabout Public Info Session
- March 4, 2021: Council approved bid from Linaweaver Construction
- Spring 2021: Construction began on the 91st & Lexington Roundabout
- May 13, 2021: Project is approximately 20% complete. View the Chamber of Commerce update presentation here.