The City of Parkville has received notice from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) that funds totaling over $1.7 million for improvements to Route 9 will be granted to the City in state fiscal years 2019 and 2020. The Cost Share Program by MoDOT provides financial assistance to state and local projects satisfying a transportation need. The grant funds will pay for improvements from Route 45 to Lakeview Drive.
 
In January 2016, the City adopted the Route 9 Corridor Study that outlined improvements along Route 9 from Route 45 in Parkville to Mattox Road in Riverside. The report included preliminary design for twelve segments along the corridor addressing traffic flow issues, enhancing aesthetics and accommodating pedestrians and cyclists. Transportation improvements include additional turning lanes, curb and gutter, stormwater improvements, a ten foot shared-use path for non-motorized users, sidewalks, signals, marked crosswalks and pedestrian lighting. The improvements from Route 45 to Lakeview Drive represent the first three of the twelve segments.
 
Funding for improvements to Route 9 from Route 45 to Lakeview Drive will come from various sources. The City had previously been awarded $965,000 in federal funding through the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). In May 2017, the Board of Aldermen authorized staff to submit an application to MoDOT for additional funding. The City received official notice in December 2017 that over $1.7 million in Cost Share Program funding was awarded and would be available in state fiscal years 2019 and 2020.
 
Funding from both the MARC and MoDOT grants, totaling over $2.9 million, will be combined with local match revenues from the 9 Highway Corridor Community Improvement District for transportation improvements from Route 45 to Lakeview Drive. Design is currently underway and construction is anticipated to begin in late 2018.
 
Mayor Nan Johnston said, “The City is looking forward to beginning this project that will upgrade one of the city’s main arterial connectors through Parkville. It will greatly improve vehicular traffic through the community and includes design elements that enhance aesthetics and pedestrian movements. I would like to thank our partners with the federal and state government, as well as our regional partners, who helped make this project happen.”
 
For more information about the Route 9 Corridor Improvement Project contact Community Development Director Stephen Lachky at (816) 741-7676.