A Vision Zero planning effort funded through the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program has identified countywide crash hot spots and produced a "high injury network" of priority segments and intersections, Wyandotte County public works staff and consultants reported Monday.

Sarah Schafer of the Unified Government public works department and Anthony Gallo, project manager with Kimley‑Horn, presented an update on the SS4A planning grant, which the presenters described as a $960,000 federal award plus $240,000 from the Kansas Department of Transportation for a $1,200,000 planning partnership that includes the Unified Government and the cities of Bonner Springs, Edwardsville and Lake Quivira.

Gallo said the project is focused on fatal and serious-injury crashes and that the county recorded about 28,000 crashes off the interstates over the last 10 years, with "150 fatalities and 537 disabling injuries" on non-interstate roads during that period. He reported that speeding appears in more than a third of fatal and serious-injury crashes and that nearly 20 percent of those crashes involve a pedestrian or bicyclist. Gallo also said the county's share of fatal and serious-injury crashes involving unrestrained occupants is higher than the state average (35 percent in Wyandotte County versus 28 percent statewide, as presented).

Using crash data, public comments (about 450 received on the project website), and stakeholder field visits, the team scored intersections and segments by exposure, crash severity and vulnerability to develop a high injury network. Gallo described example problem locations such as State Avenue between areas the team scored highly for a combination of fatal, serious-injury and vulnerable-user crashes; Parallel Parkway and State Avenue; Seventh Street/Rainbow Boulevard through Rosedale; and corridors serving downtown Kansas City, Kansas — locations that also surfaced in public comments and a safety tour.

Public engagement to date includes a community map with about 450 comments, multiple pop-up events and presentations to local groups; the project team expects more stakeholder-focused outreach and a Vision Zero summit this fall. Schafer framed the planning tool as a way to "identify capital" when rehabilitation or capital projects are scheduled so safety improvements can be layered into construction and maintenance work. She said the project also aims to update internal UG processes and provide staff tools for ongoing safety prioritization.

Questions from committee members and partners covered driver behavior versus roadway design, the effects of painted versus separated bike lanes, coordination with utilities and signalization, policies for motorized mobility devices, and plans to include elected officials and school districts in upcoming engagement. Mary Gonzales of the Board of Public Utilities asked whether the data supported any correlation between dedicated bike lanes and injuries; the presenters said they had not yet analyzed that specific correlation but noted research generally shows separation reduces conflicts.

The presentation was informational only; the committee did not take action. Presenters said the team plans to deliver a draft Vision Zero plan for adoption this fall, followed by grant-seeking and project development through 2026.