Issue #11   |   December 21, 2021
Third U.S. 69 Public Meeting Focuses on Environmental Assessment, Noise Study Results, Noise Wall Recommendations
More than 160 area residents attended the Dec. 8 Live Virtual Public Informational Meeting hosted by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) in partnership with the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) and the City of Overland Park. The meeting held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. was the third Virtual Public Meeting held for the U.S. 69 Expansion Project (69Express) and focused on the Project’s environmental assessment, noise study results and noise wall recommendations.

During the meeting, 46 questions and comments were submitted during the Live Virtual Public meeting and companion On-Demand Virtual Informational Open House (information offered in both was the same).
Meeting participants sorted their own questions by category. The most frequently cited categories included (alphabetecially): access, bike/ped, economic concerns, ETLs, local contributions, noise, road design, safety, traffic and other. Noise was the category most frequently cited. Definitions of the response categories along with a summary of the public meeting can be found posted in the Community Outreach portion of the project website’s Resources section. 
If you’re interested in learning more, and missed the Dec. 8 public meeting, you can watch a recording of that meeting and the Q&A session that followed. Until the end of January, you can access an on-demand virtual open house at www.69express.org through a link on the home page. It provides the same content as the public meeting recording; it also enable you to submit questions and comments.


KDOT Announces Short List for U.S. 69 Expansion Design-Build Project
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has announced the short list of the most qualified design-build teams to pursue construction of the U.S. 69 Expansion Project (in alphabetical order):


The design-build teams were evaluated on their qualifications, including organizational structure and key personnel assigned to the project, experience of the firms on similar projects and past performance. With shortlisting now complete, the determination of the Best-Value Proposer is scheduled to begin in early January and conclude in late July with the identification and announcement of the winning team.

Design-build is an alternative project delivery tool that allows KDOT the flexibility to deliver selected projects more efficiently and cost-effectively by selecting a design builder to complete the design and construction of the project. Design-build allows the contractor and designer to collaborate early and develop innovative and efficient solutions to meet the project goals.
Design-Build helps deliver complex, large-scale construction projects by creating a single point of responsibility for final design and construction. This allows some elements of design to overlap with construction – as shown by the gold bar on the top. Combining design and construction on larger projects also can create opportunities for a Design-Build Team to propose creative ideas for better meeting a project’s goals and construction schedule and budget.

Equity Committee Ramps Up for 2022 Work

In the new year, KDOT will convene an Equity Committee to determine whether express toll lanes may affect regional transportation equity when they open in 2025. The Equity Committee will be comprised of members of the Project’s Advisory Committee and other community members who will spend the next year determining what potential mitigation strategies, if any, are needed to make sure the state’s first express toll lanes project benefits the regional community as fully as possible. The Committee’s recommendations will be presented in December 2022 for consideration and implementation.


Community Outreach Continues
The year may be closing out, but 69Express community outreach continues as the Project Team seeks to ensure that U.S. 69 travelers and corridor residents are kept up to date on corridor progress.

One key upcoming engagement will be January meetings with benefited receptors - property owners and tenants who will receive at least a 5 dB reduction in noise levels from proposed noise abatement measures. Benefited receptors are currently being identified and will be invited to the late January outreach meetings designated for their locations. At the meetings benefitted receptors will learn more about findings from the 69Express noise study and potential solutions to reduce noise impacts, have an opportunity to speak directly with Project team members and vote on whether noise walls should be constructed along U.S. 69 at their locations.

Other opportunities for engaging with the Project and asking questions or offering comments are available in the next few months (timeline below). Updated information also has been added to the website, including the 69Express Noise Study; documents related to the Environmental Assessment and Alternatives Screening Memo.

Efforts like these efforts will expand on already extensive 2021 communication. Through November, stakeholder engagement resulted in more than 77 major media articles and regular updates to the Project website, social media, electronic newsletters and community presentations.
Multiple opportunities for engaging with the Project Team and asking questions or offering comments will be available over the next few months. Additionally, a number of resources have been added to the Project website to help update people interested in the Project, including results of the 69Express Noise Study; documents related to the Environmental Assessment.

Visit www.69express.org to learn more about the
U.S. 69 Corridor Modernization and Expansion Project.


PROJECT PARTNERS