Olathe’s pending Interstate 35 and Santa Fe Street corridor overhaul project will get a big boost from the state and federal funds.
The project is on track to get $98 million in federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant money, according to a news release from Gov. Laura Kelly’s office. In all, the project is expected to come with a more than $200 million price tag and has been dubbed by city officials as “the biggest project” Olathe has ever undertaken.
The work — which is still a few years away from beginning — will feature a new interchange at I-35 and Santa Fe, as well as upgrades to the busy corridor east of downtown Olathe.
Santa Fe and I-35 capacity is “insufficient”
The news release from Kelly’s office posted online Tuesday calls the proposed project area “one of the region’s most congested corridors.”
Additionally, the city’s five-year capital improvement plan says that Santa Fe in its current state “has insufficient capacity to handle the volume of traffic,” (Pg 74).
“This announcement is a win for Kansas and everyone who travels I-35 through Olathe,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in the news release. “This project represents my administration’s work to modernize and strengthen the infrastructure and transportation links that support commerce and economic growth across the state.”
The infrastructure grant funds, sometimes referred to as INFRA, come from the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden in 2021. Olathe and the Kansas Department of Transportation submitted a joint application for the funds.
“We know our residents want and need a faster, safer route through the heart of our city,” Mayor John Bacon has said of the project.
What’s planned for Santa Fe, I-35 corridor?
- One of the first pieces of the project is to add auxiliary lanes to I-35 in the two-mile stretch between Santa Fe and 119th Street. That will put an extra lane on both sides of the interstate to cut down on fast-paced merging.
- General corridor improvements are also planned on Santa Fe between Ridgeview Road and Mur-Len.
- At I-35 and Santa Fe, a new single-point urban interchange will be added, which aims to funnel traffic on and off the freeway more quickly than a traditional diamond interchange.
- In addition to the grant funds from the federal government, KDOT intends to kick in an additional $140 million to help support the project through the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program.
- Read more about the plans here.
Federal funds could expand project scope
Previously, Olathe City Engineer Nate Baldwin said that if the city could get federal funds to support the project, then it could widen the scope to include more elements.
Those other elements could include:
- Improving the corridor entirely between Ridgeview and Mur-Len (the standing plans stop short of Mur-Len)
- Expanding the Old Highway 56 and I-35 flyover bridge to two lanes to address traffic back up onto Mahaffie Street
- Repaving I-35 entirely between 119th Street and Santa Fe
Olathe previously applied for the federal grant for this project in the past but was rejected.
What comes next?
- Design for the I-35 and Santa Fe corridor project is still underway.
- Construction could start as soon as 2027, putting the estimated completion somewhere in 2029.
- The city has also started working on land acquisition for the project, which is expected to force several businesses out of the immediate vicinity of I-35 and Santa Fe.
More on the I-35 and Santa Fe project: Olathe is taking over lots of land to make room for upgrades to I-35 and Santa Fe
