We are writing to you as we oppose the closure of the railroad crossing on Woodland Road near Northgate Street.  We support the original street project to extend 119th Street from Woodland to Northgate.  This petition will be presented to the Olathe Mayor, City Council members, and the Federal Railroad Administration.

 

Please sign this petition if you believe keeping Woodland Road completely open is a crucial part of our community’s infrastructure while ensuring public safety.

Do not send any money if asked after you sign the petition.  We do not want any money!!!  We want only your support via a signature.

 

1.     Originally the City approved funds for the 119th Street Extension Project in 2021.  They presented their plans in four public meetings beginning in 2021 to September 2022.  This project did not include the closure of the Woodland/Northgate railroad crossing.  In July 2022, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced they would take grant applications for improving railroad crossing safety.  The city applied for the grant money to improve railroad crossing safety by proposing to close the Woodland/Northgate railroad crossing; coupling the closure with the 119th Street Extension Project.  It was never disclosed in any public meeting that the City proposed to close the Woodland/Northgate railroad crossing.  The city admitted they chose this crossing only because it was the closest crossing to the 119th Street Extension Project; not because of safety. The focus was the funding, not safety.

 

2.      The 119th Street Extension Project is a good project and closing the Woodland/Northgate railroad crossing does not have to be part of that project. The Woodland crossing is one of the safest of the eleven crossings on BNSF’s 8 miles of tracks through west Olathe. That crossing is within a quiet zone, with non-traversable medians, gate systems, sidewalks, and most importantly, visibility to oncoming trains.   All benefits to the City are derived from the extension of 119th Street from Woodland to Northgate, not from the closure of the Woodland/Northgate crossing.

 

3.      Closing the Woodland/Northgate crossing will increase traffic on alternative routes such as Iowa Street and the Harold/127th railroad crossing as drivers use another route to downtown Olathe. The Harold/127th railroad crossing is already shown in Olathe’s traffic reports to be far more dangerous (no road shoulders or sidewalks and very limited visibility to oncoming trains).  Iowa is primarily a residential street.

 

4.      Olathe is growing.  Both 119th Street and Woodland Road are needed for the increased traffic. Closing Woodland, a major north/south road, only rotates the current traffic problems 90 degrees.  One-third of the traffic at the Woodland/Northgate railroad crossing goes toward or comes from downtown Olathe.  Closing the crossing hurts economic development and access to downtown Olathe (library, post office, public pool, businesses, city/county trails etc.).  Children, cyclists and walkers will no longer be able to walk or ride bikes to access these downtown amenities. They will have to detour a mile and one-half east on the new 119th Street to the Northgate round-a-roundabout and then back west on a busy Northgate Street.

 

5.      Olathe City Code 10.24.020 prohibits truck traffic on Woodland.  Truck traffic coming from the business facility next to the railroad crossing now travels south to Northgate Street.  With the Woodland/Northgate crossing closure, those trucks will be forced to travel north on Woodland to 119th Street and possibly nearby residential streets.  Having large semi and dump trucks hauling waste and debris of concrete, dirt, rocks, etc. is a safety concern.   If this closure occurs, there are no other roads for these trucks to access from that place of business. 

 

By closing the Woodland/Northgate railroad crossing we must consider these increased safety risks.   This grant money was intended to increase safety at railroad crossings.  The City’s actions will put Olathe citizens at more risk if the Woodland/Northgate railroad crossing is closed.

 

Please sign this petition if you believe keeping Woodland Road completely open is a crucial part of our community’s infrastructure while ensuring public safety.