Davids Celebrates U.S. 69 Express Lane Completion During Ribbon Cutting in Overland Park
Overland Park, KS — Today, Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) joined local partners to celebrate the completion and grand opening of the express lanes on U.S. 69 between 103rd and 151st Streets. This three-year design-build project was a successful collaboration between Davids’ office, Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), Kansas Turnpike Authority, and City of Overland Park.
“This is a big day for our community,” said Davids. “Anyone who lives, works, or drives through Johnson County knows the frustration of sitting in traffic on U.S. 69. Too many families have also felt the pain of crashes on the highway. These new lanes will ease congestion, make travel safer, and give thousands of Kansans a more predictable, reliable commute every day. I’m proud of this team effort!”
“69Express is a result of successful collaboration between our federal, state, and local partners,” said Calvin Reed, Secretary, KDOT. “Together, we’re implementing express lanes as a sustainable congestion-management solution to provide drivers with reliable travel times today and as traffic grows in the future.”
Three years ago, Davids helped break ground on this project, noting that “modernizing U.S. 69 has been a priority since my predecessor's predecessor.” Today, she highlighted federal funding that she secured to relocate and modify sanitary sewers along the busy corridor — a critical step KDOT identified as necessary to move the project forward.
Davids also emphasized the role of the bipartisan infrastructure law in partially funding the express lanes. She was the only member of Kansas’ congressional delegation to vote in support of the law. While the legislation was being crafted, Davids joined her colleagues at the White House to advocate for U.S. 69 upgrades, focusing on improving safety, reducing congestion, and promoting economic growth along the corridor.
The bipartisan infrastructure law, which is paid for through a combination of new revenues and savings, has been called the most fiscally responsible infrastructure bill in at least a decade by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In all, more than $3.2 billion in federal bipartisan infrastructure law funding has been announced for Kansas, with more than 311 specific projects identified — from lead pipe replacement in Olathe to safety initiatives in Kansas City, KS to long-overdue upgrades to K-68 in Miami County.