KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 News anchor Lindsay Shively offers coverage on a wide variety of topics, including stories of interest to consumers. Reach out to Linsday via email.
—
At our Let's Talk event in Spring Hill earlier this year, I met Marcus Grauerholz. He told me he was concerned about traffic on 175th Street between Interstate 35 and Highway 169, specifically an increase in heavy truck traffic.
"Because with all the housing development here now, I worry that someone's going to get hurt," Grauerholz said. "There's kids in the neighborhoods, I see bicyclists on 175th Street all the time."
Grauerholz told me his main concern is that trucks might be using 175th Street to skip weigh stations.
"So if you're coming up from the south of I-35 and you don't want to stop at the scale — you don't want to take the time, or you know you're overweight, or you have an issue — you get off on 175th Street, you go east to 169 Highway over here, or Lone Elm, and you go back up to I-35 and get on and continue on your merry little way. And you didn't stop for anybody," he said.
I reached out to the Kansas Highway Patrol about that.
"It's not illegal by Kansas statute," Lt. Ryan Clark told me. "It is illegal if you come on I-35 southbound and our scale house is open and you just keep on going; that is illegal. However, if you want to take a different route for whatever reason, that is not illegal."
Clark told me this isn't the first complaint he has heard about that part of 175th Street.
For Grauerholz, the possibility of overweight trucks is worrying.
"Your stopping distance just increased on that truck, so the chances of having an accident just increased," he said.
KHP has portable scales, and I was told residents can request them. However, Clark told me troopers cover a large area.
"Up here, I supervise the Kansas City metro area, which is Troop A, which is Miami, Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson. Right now, I only have two people to cover all four of those that have portable scales," Clark said. "I understand your concerns. We can only do so much. We want to help. We understand. Like I said, I live down south, so I see all the truck traffic as well. But again, we have other citizens we also have to provide safety for on the highways."
Grauerholz told me it's also the road itself that concerns him.
"But I think if you made this whole road four-lane and not two-lane, it would be much, much better," he said.
I reached out to different local governments, including Olathe, Spring Hill and Gardner, as parts of that stretch are within their boundaries. A spokesperson for Gardner told me they are planning a project to reconstruct part of 175th Street near I-35.
Grauerholz had heard about Gardner potentially making some changes.
"I think it's a start," he told me.
Spring Hill and Olathe both told me there are no planned projects for that part of 175th Street right now. An Olathe spokesperson told me they're aware of increasing traffic, and they will keep monitoring road conditions.
A Kansas Department of Transportation spokesperson told me they are working with Gardner on the I-35 interchange at 175th Street. That is separate from Gardner's 175th Street project. I was told KDOT is also "reviewing and updating the access management plan on the 169/K7 corridor, which includes part of 175th Street."
I reached back out to Grauerholz with what I found out. He said he was glad someone looked into it, and he didn't know you could request portable scales.
If you have a story idea, question or concern, you can always join us at our next Let's Talk event or reach out directly.
—
