Rock Creek Corridor Improvements: Downtown Center to East Gateway Plan

What: A multimodal corridor plan
When: 2023
Team: BikeWalkKC, Wilson & Company, Hoxie Collective, SWT Design
Client: City of Mission KS
Funding: Planning Sustainable Places grant from MARC

The Rock Creek Corridor Improvements: Downtown Center to East Gateway Plan was a collaboration between the City of Mission, Kansas and multiple consultants, which included BikeWalkKC. This project explored an improvement plan for the eastern section of the Rock Creek corridor between Woodson Road and Roeland Drive, a 1.65-mile shared-use path that serves as an east-west connector in Mission. The project team actively engaged with the City of Mission, stakeholders, business owners, residents, and interested individuals in the community. The design process centered on community engagement to address and consider community voices and priorities.

As part of the engagement effort, BikeWalkKC facilitated a Walk & Roll event. Open to anyone, this event had options to walk or bike the Rock Creek Corridor study area to physically engage with the project. The Walk & Roll workshop was the initial public engagement outreach and offered walkers and bikers the opportunity to experience the trail, discuss existing trail conditions, identify opportunities and challenges, and cultivate a shared understanding of the state of the Rock Creek corridor. 

While this study was underway, BikeWalkKC worked closely with City of Mission staff members to roll out three bike share hubs, officially welcoming the City of Mission into the RideKC Bike service area. Thanks to a Carbon Reduction Program grant, which BikeWalkKC helped the City of Mission apply for, the community was awarded enough funding to launch a citywide bikeshare system. Additionally, the grant provided funding for the purchase and installation of 25 bike racks, which BikeWalkKC helped the City locate for maximum convenience and use.

In 2024, The Rock Creek Corridor Improvements: Downtown Center to East Gateway Plan was nominated for the Meadowlark Award, offered by the American Planning Association (APA) Kansas Chapter, which recognizes an “individual, project, or program creating greater awareness of the value of planning to improve a community’s quality of life.”

Read the full plan here.