That came after several downtown business owners expressed concerns with a proposal to cut Merrriam Drive down from three lanes to two.

Business owners want to keep center turn lane

• On Thursday, some business owners told the council that Merriam Drive’s center lane is used for delivery trucks to park and unload, and, often for southbound drivers to queue up in as they turn left to go east onto Johnson Drive.
• Removing the center lane to pare Merriam Drive down to two lanes, they said, could cause congestion.
• “I don’t believe that it’s going to be safer, I think it’s going to be more traffic congestion and it’s going to be less safe for the vehicles there overall,” Anton Krutz, owner of KC Strings, said.
• A data set in city documents from WSP, a Kansas City-based engineering consultant that conducted a study along Merriam Drive, shows the proposed model will cause an additional 23 second delay for southbound traffic.

Others expressed support for plan

• Several cyclists — some of whom do not live in Merriam — voiced support for the plan’s overall focus on increasing bikeability and walkability downtown.
• The plan calls for bike lanes and new, wider sidewalks, among other changes.
• Merriam resident Daniel Molina acknowledged the concerns of local businesses but said decreasing Merriam Drive to two lanes would make the area safer for pedestrians.
• “I believe this project, as it currently stands, brings us one step closer to making downtown Merriam a true destination, one of those destinations, and not just the fastest way to get somewhere else,” Molina said.

Council lands on a compromise

• The city council ultimately opted for keeping three lanes on a one-block stretch of Merriam Drive, from Johnson Drive to 58th Terrace and paring it down to two lanes the rest of the way through the downtown corridor to 55th Street.
• The stretch that remains three lanes would have two through lanes and one left-turn lane, which would result in no public on-street parking on the west side of Merriam Drive in that stretch.
• “This has been on our minds and we’ve been looking at what can be done and what’s best for the community going forward,” Mayor Bob Pape said. “It’s a tough decision for all these council people to try to do that, to try to make sure everybody’s interest is actually reflected in the design of this project.”
• Still, keeping three lanes at Merriam Drive and Johnson Drive could mean the elimination of a distinctive “gateway arch” that was included in the concept’s original design.

Draft redesign could be reviewed next week

• Part of the motion, made by Councilmember Chris Evans Hands, called for a review of the redesign.
• The city council meets at 7 p.m. on Monday, for a regularly scheduled meeting.
• City Administrator Chris Engel said if the designers — who told the city council an illustration might be available by then — are able to share something, then staff will present it at that meeting.

Go deeper: Sneak peek: Concept for future of downtown Merriam