KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City streets will be getting some upgrades a part of the city’s $17 million street resurfacing project. But at least one neighborhood wants more than a street makeover.
John and Melissa Grayless said it’s a bumpy ride on N. Fremont Avenue.
“We had to replace a tire a few months ago, and we’re going to have to replace another one I think,” said Melissa Grayless, who lives in the Maple Park neighborhood.
They’ve lived in the area for nearly a decade and said, over time, more potholes and uneven streets have become a major problem.
“You have to try and dodge them,” said Sherry Witner, another Maple Park resident. “The ones down at the end of the street here are the worst. You just have to go a couple of miles an hour and try to go around them, so you don’t hit them at any kind of speed at all.”
Many streets in Kansas City, including theirs, are set to be fixed sometime this year, but people in the Maple Park neighborhood said they want more.
“Some rumble strips or a hump,” John Grayless said. “Even if they make both fixed in temporary signs.”
Grayless said the speeding in the neighborhood needs to be controlled, especially since there are three schools nearby where kids walk or catch the bus to and from school.
The Kansas City Public Works Department told FOX4 that speed bumps are not a part of funding for the resurfacing project, but residents can request speed bump installations from the city.
The couple said they have sent in numerous complaints and were told a speed bump or radar speed sign isn’t a part of the project.
They said they hope the city will listen before someone gets hurt.
Public Works broke down how the request process works:
- A request comes to the traffic team via 311;
- The traffic team reviews the area and determines if the block meets warrants for speed humps;
- If the location meets warrants, the traffic team defines a petition area and the requestor completes and submits the petition form;
- The traffic team verifies the petition form has 75% of the block in support;
- Once funding is identified/secured (such as Public Improvements Advisory Committee funds), the speed humps are installed.
The department coordinates its annual resurfacing list with other projects, complete streets improvements, and road diet opportunities to improve safety. Speed humps are not typically included in the annual resurfacing program, but can be added in locations where the above process is followed and if funded is identified.
Public Works also said it’s getting ready to launch its Vision Zero initiative next week that will identify a strategy, projects and engagement opportunities to make the streets safer for everyone.
