Overland Park, Kansas, is set to implement a significant change in its construction standards for new residential and collector streets starting in October 2023 writes Julia Scammahorn for KCTV5 News. The City Council has unanimously approved a recommendation to require concrete pavement for these streets, aiming to reduce their reliance on chip seals, an asphalt pavement maintenance method. The new standards will not only involve constructing single-family and multifamily residential streets with concrete but also narrowing the allowable width of some local residential streets. This decision comes after extensive community engagement and input from various stakeholders, including the Kansas City Home Builders Association, the asphalt pavement industry, and the concrete pavement industry.
The move towards concrete streets is motivated by the city’s commitment to improving road quality and reducing maintenance costs. Chip seal, while extending pavement life, can result in a rough surface and the accumulation of chip rock near work sites. Over the next two decades, Overland Park anticipates that this shift will mean approximately 370 lane miles of streets that would have required chip seal maintenance will now be constructed with concrete. Additionally, concrete streets offer environmental benefits such as lower maintenance requirements, reduced material usage, and lower fossil fuel consumption. Concrete pavement also tends to have slightly cooler temperatures compared to asphalt, contributing to a more comfortable environment.
Read the full news article here: https://www.kctv5.com/2023/09/12/overland-park-require-concrete-streets-new-construction/