Traffic Division

Parkway Signal Coordination Improvements

Thanks to new traffic signal coordination, weekday traffic is moving more efficiently these days on the two-mile stretch of Shawnee Mission Parkway between Pflumm Road and Mastin. Noticeable impacts include less stops and faster overall travel times, fewer air pollutant emissions and – just in time for the rise in gas prices – reduced fuel consumption.

In cooperation with the Mid American Regional Council’s Operation Greenlight program, City staff began a traffic study in July after the construction was completed on Shawnee Mission Parkway and all lanes opened to traffic. Over the course of four weeks, 150,000 vehicles were manually counted to help develop the timing plans.

A fiber optic communication cable, installed with the last Shawnee Mission Parkway Improvement project, enables the eight traffic signals along the corridor to communicate with each other. This communication system is key to keeping the coordination plans running properly.

Six different timing plans run each weekday from 6:45 a.m. to 8:45 p.m., changing as the traffic patterns shift throughout the day. The 6:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. timing plan was the first to be implemented on August 10. During the next six weeks, as plans were added and adjustments made, travelers quickly noticed a difference. Today, drivers who routinely travel the two mile segment on the Parkway average only one red light per trip.

Drivers who turn onto the Parkway from a north or southbound street do not always reap the benefits of the coordination plan until they have come to a red light in their direction of travel. The lower volume signalized intersections such as Long, Jaycee and Goddard have presented the biggest challenges to the timing plans at certain times of the day. The Traffic Engineering Division of the Public Works Department continues to monitor these locations for improvements to the coordination plan.

To analyze benefits of the plans, multiple travel time runs were completed before and after the timing plans were implemented. Benefits for the approximate 30,000 vehicles a day that use the corridor are impressive!

Occasionally, the signals experience hiccups when a traffic accident, pedestrian or emergency vehicle somewhere on the corridor forces a change in the timing plan. The signal may then skip a phase to get back in sync. If you experience repeated signal operation or performance problems along the corridor, please contact the Public Works - Traffic Engineering Division at 913-742-6950 with a description of the problem and approximate time of day it occurs.

City of Shawnee, 11110 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, KS 66203
(913) 742-6950 E-Mail