Olathe council approves contract to study nine BNSF crossings; NEPA work, stakeholder outreach set

The Olathe City Council on Tuesday approved a professional services agreement with GFT Infrastructure (TransSystems) to conduct a preliminary engineering and planning study of nine railroad crossings along the BNSF West Tract.

City Engineer Nate Baldwin told the council the study will establish a project-management plan for submission to the Federal Railroad Administration, start stakeholder engagement in 2026 and deliver a project planning package in January 2028. The city has secured a $1.75 million federal grant for the work, Baldwin said.

The study will evaluate each of the nine crossings—eight at-grade crossings and one grade-separated crossing at Spruce—to determine recommended measures that could include safety improvements, closures, grade separations or other changes. Baldwin said the study will also begin the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process needed to pursue federal funding and will assess community impacts, constructability, long-term maintenance costs and impacts on rail operations.

"We really need to establish a purpose and need," Baldwin said in his presentation. "Once we do that, we can go back with whatever improvements we decide and we've already done the groundwork for it." He told the council the project-management plan is due to FRA in August 2026, and the city expects to submit it ahead of that date.

Council members asked about the timeline, ability to accelerate priority projects and how conceptual engineering would support future funding requests. Baldwin said the study will produce conceptual engineering sufficient to compete for grants and that the NEPA work will be staged: an initial, corridor-level scope to set boundaries followed by project-level NEPA once priorities are chosen.

The council approved the agreement (project PN3 C-29-24) by roll call, 7-0. Council members directed staff to correct a mistaken completion date listed in the staff report to January 31, 2028.

Why it matters: crossings along the corridor produce repeated traffic delays and pose public-safety concerns; the study is intended to produce prioritized, fundable options that the city and railroad can jointly pursue.

What’s next: staff will begin the project-management plan and stakeholder outreach in 2026, then prioritize projects and seek construction funding for high-priority crossings.

Ending: The contract commits the city to a multiyear planning effort; Baldwin told the council it will take time but will provide a roadmap to improvements and federal funding opportunities.