After nearly eight months of construction, a major northwest Olathe intersection will reopen Oct. 28. However, drivers will have to wait another month before they can travel the completed 119th Street corridor.
Drivers in northwest Olathe will finally regain access to the intersection of 119th Street and Northgate Street on Wednesday, Oct. 28, but one of the largest pieces of the city’s long-awaited road extension project will remain closed.
The new roundabout is scheduled to open Wednesday, along with connections to Northgate Street and Nelson Road, ending a closure that began March 2.
However, the project’s new 800-foot bridge over Mill Creek and the BNSF railroad tracks will not open at the same time.
The city is awaiting delivery of exterior bridge railing materials. Officials now anticipate opening the bridge by the end of November.
That means motorists will once again be able to navigate the Northgate intersection, but they still cannot travel straight through on 119th Street between Northgate and Woodland Road.
A missing connection in northwest Olathe
The 119th Street Extension Project is designed to eliminate a roughly one-mile gap in the roadway between Northgate Street and Woodland Road.
Once completed, it will provide a continuous east-west connection along 119th Street between Kansas Highway 7 and Interstate 35.
The project includes a four-lane divided roadway and a bridge spanning Mill Creek and the railroad corridor near the Gary L. Haller Trail.
City officials have identified improving east-west traffic flow as a major transportation priority. The new bridge will allow drivers to cross the busy BNSF railroad without waiting for trains at a ground-level crossing.
Additional improvements include new turn lanes and traffic signals at Lone Elm Road, Iowa Street and Woodland Road, along with sidewalks, bicycle accommodations and a connection to the Gary L. Haller Trail.
Opening comes later than an earlier target
The Olathe City Council approved a $325,000 contract change in January intended to accelerate construction and shorten the Northgate intersection closure.
That agreement established an October 1 reopening target, weather permitting, and included provisions for reducing the additional contractor payment if deadlines were missed.
The intersection is now scheduled to reopen October 28. Whether the later opening affects the contractor’s payment has not been established.
In an August 31 construction update, the city reported that both bridge decks had been installed and anticipated opening 119th Street to vehicle traffic by the end of October.
Although the roundabout will meet that broader late-October timeframe, the full roadway connection will not.
Construction on the overall extension began in December 2024, with Pyramid Contractors Inc. serving as the primary construction contractor.
The city has previously projected final completion of the overall project in early 2027.
Another feature is still to come. Olathe plans to install public artwork in the center of the new roundabout in spring 2027.
For now, drivers approaching the area should watch for new traffic patterns and continue following posted restrictions near the unfinished bridge.
Something Different Media Group
