KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Share your story idea with Marlon.
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A major project is in the works for AA Highway, also known as Waukomis Drive, and while many Platte County residents agree it’s needed for safety, some are calling for more transparency on the plans.
Northmoor, a small city in Platte County, is home to only a few hundred residents.
“It's a quiet community, but it's a close community. We have a lot of long-time residents that live here," said Megan Craig, Northmoor resident.
Many in the area will soon see big changes to Waukomis Drive after Platte County was awarded $6.8 million in federal grants.
The improvements will include widening the two-lane road, adding curves, sidewalks and a walking path/bike trail on one side of the road.
“We have disabled individuals that live in our community that go to and from, that don't have proper transportation, and they're having to use the shoulders that are gravel and it's very, very unsafe," Craig said.
Safety is top of mind for officials in the county. Wes Minder, Platte County administrator, said these improvements are much needed.
“We do have people walking in the streets to get down to Vivion, to jobs, or the bus stops," Minder said. "So, we want to get people out of the street. We want to make it safer for cars, and then safer for people that are walking along the road, too.”
The road from U.S. 69 in Riverside to Interstate 29 was built back in the 1940s. Since then, many businesses and residential homes have moved into the area.
"The biggest challenge on this will be just phasing and building it during construction," Minder said. "There's not very many alternate routes. This is kind of the main way for a lot of people to get in and out of Northmoor and these businesses.”
But the biggest concern for some residents is losing some property.
"This is MoDoT's right of way, so they can take out everything in order to make this road all the way down, impacting several houses, mine especially," said a nearby resident. "It’s going to take out my entire driveway, the fountain in my yard and basically most of my yard.”
While Craig doesn't mind, she hopes the county is transparent with the community during the process.
“As long as they speak to the community members," Craig said. "Come to us, talk to us, let us know what's going to happen rather than just saying, 'Hey, this is our plan, we're going to intrude, we're going to take parts of your property away.' That's not okay."
In the process, the county said it hopes to redo some of the residents' driveways to compensate them during the construction process.
In the meantime, the county will begin to hold public meetings for the community to get feedback on the project.
“I think the biggest thing is folks just need to be patient," Minder said. "We don't have the answers. We'll have the answers as we get through design and construction."
Construction is set to begin in 2028.
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