Leawood's Flooding Fix: Bypass Line for Wenonga Lane

0:00It's April 1st. You're listening to Kansas News today, AI-powered local news. Lee Woods dealing with major flooding headaches along with Nongolane from 119th Street to 133th Street. Heavy rains turned it into a lake back in 2013, with over three feet of water and rescues needed. Now, after storms hit hard on July 27th, flooding swamped 30 homes and businesses plus a city park. These cities pushing a $5.5 million fixed to upgrade pipes in stormwater systems. They tried repairs after that first flood, but funding shortages and land access problems stalled everything for years. Earlier this week, public works director David Lay updated the city council on jumping back in after recent downpours. Residents got fed up, especially with 24 rains hitting 19 homes and 14 streets, some under three feet of water again. First demanded action, and the council directed staff to find smarter ways around old roadblocks, like easements.

1:00Engineers from water resource solutions pitched a bypass line to reroute water through Pawnee Lane, breaking up the flood timing where pipes converge. It's cheaper and less disruptive than bigger pipes on Wananga, and since Pawnee needs rebuilding anyway, it kills two birds with one stone. The plans early, needing Johnson County approval first. With Greenlit, construction kicks off next spring, wrapping in five to six years, bringing real relief to that soaked stretch.