This story is part of an ongoing series, Powering Change: Panasonic and De Soto. If you'd like to share your excitement or concerns about the electric vehicle battery plant, you can do so here.
—
We’ve been looking at traffic in De Soto closely because it’s a big concern for people who live there.
Traffic has increased in recent years and will only continue to do so, especially with the development of Panasonic’s EV battery plant that will employ thousands of people.
DeSoto Mayor Rick Walker has heard a lot about this.
“The concerns I've heard most often have to do with traffic or concerns about what traffic might be like,” Walker said.
KDOT says that from 2010 to 2023, traffic on K-10 east of K-7 has increased by 30,000 cars a day and is projected to triple by 2060.
The transportation department expects significant growth in the future because of residential and industrial development in the area.
With that in mind, KDOT has been planning the K-10 Capacity Improvement Project since before the Panasonic announcement. The project will stretch from Lenexa to De Soto.
Panasonic is located right off K-10 and Lexington Avenue inside 10,000 acres of land De Soto plans to make into a larger manufacturing hub.
“As construction has happened, we've seen that infrastructure be challenged at times," Walker said. "We've got 3,500 construction workers that are leaving at 4:30 on an afternoon, and it does create a bit of a backup."
KDOT’s project could widen K-10 from four lanes to six and improve interchanges; both improvements would help mitigate traffic.
The project is estimated to cost $1.16 billion. KDOT is in the "discovery phase" and still needs funding for construction, so it could be years before people see changes on the road.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.