Mission Road Construction to End in November

Photos by Luke Hoffman

In order to make the area more aesthetically pleasing and pedestrian friendly, according to the Prairie Village Public Works Department, construction on Mission Road is scheduled to carry on until late Nov., five months after it began in June.

Prompted by the poor condition of the pavement from 75th to 84th street, the current construction project will improve the street by putting down a new overlay of asphalt. It will also create an eight foot wide walking path from the Prairie Village shops to Corinth Square.

“We are very excited about the walking trail with the pedestrian level lighting connecting the two shops,” Melissa Prenger, Senior Project Manager for the Prairie Village Public Works Department said. “The lights have banner arms and the City will be able to hang banners for our special events.”

Despite the constant improvement the City of Prairie Village is striving to make, the frequent construction has increased traveling time for those who take Mission Road during their daily commute.

“It takes forever to get food or go home,” junior Jordan Kinney said. “I don’t even know what they’re doing to the road, but I don’t think it’s worth it. It holds up people for the longest time.”

The current construction is one of many that Mission Road has seen is the last three years. In both 2010 and 2014, different sections of the road were milled and repaved. In 2016, 71st to 75th and Mission became three lanes instead of four.

The complaints the Public Works department often receives do not go unnoticed, but they are confident that the work being done for the improvement of the pedestrian atmosphere and the functionality of Mission Road is worth the inconveniences being caused.

“Any time the roadway is reduced from two lanes to one lane in each direction, there will be some delays and those can generate phone calls,” Prenger said. “I always thank callers for their patience during construction while we make improvements. We realize that construction is an inconvenience.”