Johnson County officials on May 29 outlined recommended changes to the county's comprehensive arterial road network plan intended to reconnect the Astra Enterprise Park area to surrounding communities and regional highways.

The update to what presenters called the Karnet plan focuses on creating a north–south corridor that would link K‑10 with 150th Street through the Astra Enterprise Park area, reconnect several existing section‑line roads and adjust arterial classifications in response to recent and anticipated development.

The study team, led by Johnson County public works staff with consultant HNTB, said the primary recommendation is a north–south route beginning on Eveningstar, moving about a mile east through Astra Enterprise Park and connecting with Edgerton Road. The update also identifies reconnections on existing section lines — including portions of 119th, 127th and 135th streets — and recommends redesignations for some east–west links such as 143rd Street to better serve regional traffic.

"The primary goal of this study is to reconnect that area with the rest of the county," said Bridal Petig, public works project lead. "That north–south corridor that Karnet identified, it's now appropriate to find and see where that should be running." Petig said the team recommends removing an off‑section Kill Creek alignment from the plan in favor of using existing Kill Creek/115th and Waverly, and suggested reducing 111th Street from a four‑lane to a two‑lane designation in the Karnet plan.

Why it matters: the area around Astra Enterprise Park — which presenters and commissioners said is seeing new industrial and logistics interest including large employers — is presently constrained by legacy road patterns and floodplain and sewer limitations. Updating the county's arterial plan is intended to preserve right‑of‑way options and guide access management as development and annexation proceed.

Petig described the Karnet plan (a county comprehensive arterial road network plan adopted in 1999) as a policy document that establishes a hierarchy of arterial roads (type 1–3 designations) to guide setbacks, right‑of‑way needs and access management. He said the county will not use the update as a construction document but rather to inform future project design and planning department regulations.

Commissioners pressed staff on public outreach and future stewardship. "It's time now to do that," Petig told the board, referring to the next phase of public engagement; he confirmed a public open house scheduled for June 11 in DeSoto. Commissioner Allenbrand commended the long‑range work and broad stakeholder engagement that produced the study.

Commissioner Ashcraft asked who will follow the project through completion; Petig said engineering manager Mr. Vose will assume the role in the fall when Petig is no longer on the project team. Petig said project staff and the consultant will present the recommendations to the Johnson County Planning Commission in late June as an information item and that formal consideration and any updates to the Karnet plan would come to the board this fall as part of the county's annual comprehensive plan update.

The presentation noted coordination with the Kansas Department of Transportation and surrounding cities, and with Johnson County Parks and Recreation, which staff said anticipates major park development in the region. Presenters flagged implementation limitations including floodplain constraints and limited sewer availability in parts of the study area, which staff said will likely limit immediate annexation and development in some parcels.

Petig said staff will accept public comment at the open house and collate input to inform the final recommendations. There was no board action taken at the May 29 meeting; the item was an informational update and staff plan for later formal consideration and possible ordinance/regulatory changes when the comprehensive plan update is presented.

Officials who spoke during the presentation included Bridal Petig, public works project lead; Kip Strauss, HNTB consultant; Commissioner Allenbrand; Commissioner Ashcraft; and Commissioner Hanslick. Public engagement steps announced by staff include the June 11 open house in DeSoto, a presentation to the planning commission on June 24, and a planned board action during the fall comprehensive plan update.

The county said the Karnet update aims to preserve corridor options as unincorporated areas convert to urban densities and to give cities, developers and residents clearer guidance about future right‑of‑way and access management needs.

Looking ahead: staff will hold the June 11 open house; collect public comments; present to the planning commission in late June; and return to the board this fall with recommended updates to the county's comprehensive arterial plan and associated comprehensive plan changes.