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Lenexa residents urge council to favor an overpass, not an interchange, at Lone Elm
Summary
Dozens of Manchester Park and Stone View residents told the Lenexa City Council that a proposed Lone Elm interchange would harm neighborhood safety, walkability and school access and urged an overpass instead; council held the CIP hearing and will take action on the CIP later.
Dozens of residents told the Lenexa City Council at a Dec. 1 public hearing that a proposed interchange at Lone Elm and K‑10 would threaten neighborhood safety and walkability and that an overpass would better address traffic concerns.
"An interchange at Lone Elm does not benefit residents and is detrimental to the way that we live in that area," said Alexis Getzloff, a Manchester Park resident, urging the council to reconsider interchange plans in favor of an overpass to preserve safe pedestrian and bicycle access to schools.
The council opened a public hearing on the proposed FY2025–2029 Capital Improvement Program, which Mayor Sayers and staff said already includes the Lone Elm project. City project manager Nate told the council the CIP covers 54 capital projects totaling about $208.6 million over five years and noted a $1 million CARS grant will be used on the Renner Boulevard project to free excise‑tax funding for other projects.
Residents cited school safety and busing as repeated concerns. "If we create an interchange, that dynamic will change completely, and the school cannot accommodate that," said Megan Morford, who noted Manchester Park Elementary is the district's largest elementary school and that a substantial share of students walk. Others described potential noise, traffic and property‑value impacts and said there is no Lenexa precedent for an interchange that dumps highway traffic into a residential area.
Multiple speakers described a history of planning that they said previously favored an overpass. Resident Daniel Brown said that earlier discussions called for an overpass and that support for an interchange only emerged more recently; several residents asked for clearer outreach and earlier notice of design steps.
City staff said the hearing is for public feedback only and that the council will not vote on the CIP at this meeting. The mayor noted a community meeting that will include KDOT representatives is scheduled for Dec. 12 at City Hall to provide more detail on the Lone Elm project and allow extended Q&A.
The hearing closed after multiple residents spoke in opposition; the council took no immediate action on the CIP and recessed before continuing other agenda items.
Next steps: the council will consider adoption of the CIP at a later meeting (staff indicated action is scheduled for Dec. 17), and staff and KDOT will hold a public meeting on Dec. 12 to discuss design and outreach.
