A freeway facility is needed. Why not locate it further south?
A freeway concept for the study area was evaluated and was shown to meet the purpose and need of the project. It would handle the anticipated traffic and provide an ease of traffic movement. However, the freeway concept was: (1) significantly more impacts than the parkway concept; (2) the North Cass Parkway is not intended to be converted into a freeway so it isn’t an acceptable connection point for a Johnson County freeway; (3) the cost of a freeway is significantly higher than a parkway, and (4) public input indicated that a freeway in this area was not supported. Therefore, while there may be a need for a higher type of facility in the region, the study area is not the best location for it. An area further south would potentially be more feasible. In fact, there are currently discussions underway for studying potential upgrades to the K-68 Corridor. Regardless of what is done further south, there still is a need for an east-west connection in this area of the region.
