Olathe wants residents to help shape a plan to eliminate eight at-grade railroad crossings along a 2.5-mile stretch of BNSF Railway's west tracks.

The city launched the BNSF West Track Study after receiving a Rail Crossing Elimination (RCE) grant from the Federal Railroad Administration in 2025, the Olathe Reporter reported Monday, Aug. 31. The study is expected to wrap up around January 2028.

The corridor runs from Woodland Road south to Dennis Avenue. Nine crossings fall within it: Woodland, Spruce, Harold, Mulberry, Santa Fe, Park, Loula, Elm and Dennis. Spruce is already grade-separated, meaning vehicles pass over or under the tracks rather than crossing them at rail level. The remaining eight are at-grade, where cars and trains share the same surface.

Those western BNSF tracks are among the busiest in the country. Between 68 and 88 trains pass through per day, according to the city's 119th Street extension project page. For drivers at any of the eight at-grade crossings, that volume can mean frequent delays and safety concerns.

The study will include data collection, stakeholder engagement, conceptual improvement designs and a feasibility analysis to identify preferred alternatives at each crossing, according to the city's BNSF West Track Study page. The grant amount has not been publicly disclosed.

Olathe City Councilmember LeEtta Felter wrote on Facebook that a community survey is being developed and will be available at public events and online. No specific event dates, survey link or public input deadline have been announced.

The crossing study is separate from the city's 119th Street extension project, which previously sought FRA grant funding that would have required closing the Woodland Road at-grade crossing. The City Council authorized staff to proceed with that project without FRA funding, keeping the Woodland crossing open.

The study's findings are expected to guide future decisions on which crossings to close, rebuild as overpasses or underpasses, or leave unchanged. Residents can check the city's project page for updates on public engagement opportunities.