On June 16, 2025, a train stopped on the BNSF tracks near Woodland and Northgate and stayed for 50 minutes. On July 6 another one stopped for 21 minutes. The City of Olathe counted both as "significant train stoppages" and took them up with BNSF directly. The timing made both stops worse. The 119th and Woodland intersection had been closed since June 2 for reconstruction, so a blocked crossing could cut off neighborhood access.
Fixing that is the main job of the 119th Street Extension Project. In its September 30 update, the city said it hopes to finish the final street surface, signs, streetlights and pavement markings during October. It also said it "still anticipate[s]" opening the new road to drivers and pedestrians by the end of the month. When it opens, northwest Olathe gets an 800-foot bridge over the railroad. Most coverage has focused on a faster east-west drive between K-7 and I-35. For people who live between Woodland and Northgate, the bigger change is a crossing that keeps working while a train sits on the tracks.
Why there was a gap in 119th Street at all
The Johnson County Post called it the "missing link": about a mile of 119th Street between Northgate and Woodland Road that was never built. Three things sit in that mile: the BNSF railroad, Mill Creek and the Gary L. Haller Trail. Until now, drivers heading west on 119th had to turn off at Northgate, take another route and rejoin 119th at Woodland.
The new road is a four-lane divided street. A four-lane bridge carries it over the creek and the railroad, and the city's project page says it will "fully connect the 119th Street corridor between K-7 and I-35." Olathe's Transportation Master Plan listed the project as a high priority.
The rail line is busy. According to the city, the western BNSF tracks through Olathe are "some of the busiest tracks in the country," with 68 to 88 trains a day. The city's own description of the project's goal is "a reliable, consistent, safe, and train-free route for north/south travel."
The Woodland crossing is staying
There was a time when the bridge would have meant losing the street-level crossing on Woodland Road. In 2022 Olathe applied to the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Crossing Elimination Program. In June 2023 the city was told it would receive money from that program. If Olathe had accepted, it would have had to close Woodland Road north of Northgate at the BNSF tracks. The city held a public meeting on the proposed closure on August 10, 2023.
In February 2024, the City Council decided to go ahead without the federal money. The city's project page states that "the Woodland Rd. crossing will remain open."
So once the bridge opens, people near Woodland and Northgate will have two ways across the railroad. The old street-level crossing on Woodland stays where it is. The new bridge on 119th adds a route a stopped train can't block. To keep trains from stopping on the crossing, the city also worked with BNSF to put a "Form C 2068" in place. The 2025 stoppages happened anyway.
What opens this month, and what doesn't
Opening the bridge won't end every closure on the corridor. Since last year, the city has worked on the project one section at a time, and several pieces will still be underway after cars start using the bridge.
| Item | Status, per the City of Olathe |
|---|---|
| 119th and Woodland intersection | Closed June 2, 2025, for a rebuild expected to last about five months |
| 119th and Northgate, including the Nelson connection | Closed since March 2, 2026; listed through October 2026 |
| Bridge and new roadway | Target opening to vehicles and pedestrians by the end of October 2026 |
| Lane closures, Lone Elm to Woodland | March 2025 to TBD |
| 119th Street, Sunset Dr. to Ridgeview Rd. | Road closure, September 2026 to TBD |
| Remaining construction | Through the end of 2026 |
| Roundabout artwork and median landscaping | Spring 2027 |
The Sunset-to-Ridgeview closure matters if you plan to use the whole corridor. It shows up on the city's road closures list for the week of October 5 to 9, with no end date. In its August update, the city said the contractor was building 119th from the new roundabout east to Sunset Drive to connect with the existing street. The new bridge will work for local trips across the tracks right away. The full drive from K-7 to I-35 will depend on what happens east of Sunset.
The new roundabout at 119th and Northgate is where drivers will feel the biggest change. In May, the city said it had started talks with Project One Studio, the artist the city's Art Committee selected, about a piece of art for the center of the roundabout. Digging out the roundabout exposed limestone and shale. The city redesigned the retaining wall on the north side to work with those rock layers.
The trail underneath gets a way up to the street
The bridge goes over the Gary L. Haller Trail, and the project includes a new connection from 119th Street down to the trail, along with walking and biking space on the new road. The city has published a pedestrian map that draws planned routes from Woodland at 121st Lane and Woodland at 122nd Terrace to the Gary Haller trailhead.
The Haller Trail is the Olathe end of Mill Creek Streamway Park. Johnson County Park and Recreation District describes it as a walking and biking trail of about 17 miles. It runs from Nelson Island on the Kansas River south through Shawnee and Lenexa into Olathe. The two Olathe access points nearest the project are Northgate Access at 1700 Northgate Street and Northwood Trails Access Park at 11344 S. Millview Road. While the trail near Northgate was closed, JCPRD told trail users to start at Northwood Trails and head north.
The trail connection fits the same pattern as the road. The trail used to be one of the things that kept 119th from being finished. Once the project is done, it becomes one of the places the new road connects to.
What sits east along 119th
Once 119th runs straight through, northwest Olathe has a more direct drive east to the shopping centers the city's economic development council lists along the corridor:
- Olathe Station, 119th and Strang Line, southeast corner
- Olathe Pointe, 119th and Black Bob, southeast corner
- Northridge Plaza, 119th and Strang Line, northeast corner
- Ridgeview Falls and Hy-Vee Center, 119th and Ridgeview
- Bass Pro Shops / Olathe Gateway, 119th and Renner
Several of those corners are changing too. An April 1, 2026 Olathe Chamber business update said Olathe Station was being redeveloped, with a freestanding McAlister's Deli and a Homewood Suites by Hilton planned. It also noted the First Watch and Chick-fil-A already near the center's exit onto Black Bob Road. The same update described a 16,000-square-foot building with several tenant spaces at 119th and Ridgeview, with The Bar and Club Pilates signed on as tenants. Those were plans as of April, so check before you go.
The largest project on the corridor is at the east end. Halo Ridge is a $320 million, 64-acre development at 119th Street and Renner Boulevard. It is planned to include an arena, an amusement park, a hotel and restaurants, all designed around accessibility. Earlier coverage put the arena at 5,500 seats and named the amusement park Michael's WonderWorld. Johnson County Post's July 22 report gives the current schedule. The first piece will be the Halo Care Collective, a medical campus for people with disabilities and their families, in a renovated building across the street, with a target opening of January 1, 2027. The rest of the district could open to visitors as early as spring 2028.
What the extension cost, and what may come next
In November 2024 the City Council approved a construction contract with Pyramid Contractors, Inc., which bid $35,416,693.90. Total funding for the project came to $55.69 million, made up of $4.35 million in county CARS funds and $51.34 million in general obligation bonds. Construction started in December 2024.
The finished road is already shaping decisions at nearby corners. City staff have said a continuous 119th could bring more traffic and more commercial development to northwest Olathe. In January, the City Council voted 5-2 to send a 71-unit townhome proposal at 119th and Lone Elm Road back to city staff. Some council members said they saw the site as better suited for retail once the extension is finished. No retailer has been announced for that corner. The project will add turn lanes and traffic signals at Lone Elm, Iowa and Woodland.
The city posts drone video and a dated progress note with each update on the project page. That page is the most reliable place to confirm the opening day, since none had been announced as of the September 30 update.
Big road projects tend to change how a part of town works day to day, and they usually do it before anyone has updated a listing to say so. If you live near Woodland, Northgate or Lone Elm and want to talk through what the new crossing and nearby commercial plans could mean for your home's next chapter, Angela Zysk is happy to sit down and compare notes. Schedule a free consultation whenever it's useful.
