In Lee's Summit, a $25 million overhaul of Pryor Road is testing the patience of people who live near it. More than a year into construction, neighbors in the Eagle Creek area say closed connections have turned quick hops into long, looping detours. The corridor project is rebuilding Pryor from two lanes to four, adding sidewalks, a shared-use path and stormwater upgrades that city leaders say will ease traffic and attract development. For now, residents say daily life is taking the hit.
Neighbors such as Karson Sowell, who moved into Eagle Creek two years ago, told KSHB that simple errands and school runs now feel like cross-town drives. "It should be a two-minute drive on a busy day. This is going to probably take us 15 or 20 minutes now," Sowell said. Michael Park, Lee's Summit public works director, told the station the project is under contract for 660 calendar days, and that crews immediately lost about 90 days when buried utility lines were discovered.
Who Is Building It and How Much It Costs
According to the city's Legistar record, the City Council awarded the Pryor Road job to Clarkson Construction Company for $24,988,854.74 and set 660 days for substantial completion. The ordinance lists construction as originally scheduled to begin in March 2025. The measure notes that the work is funded by the voter-approved 2017 sales-tax renewal along with federal Surface Transportation Program grants. The contract calls for new traffic signals, a raised median, turn lanes, a shared-use path and a pedestrian tunnel, among other upgrades.
Utility Surprises Stretched the Timeline
The City of Lee's Summit says crews have repeatedly run into unmarked private utilities, including lines owned by AT&T, Google, Evergy and Spire, which has forced pauses and shuffled schedules. "All utilities had previously advised they were clear and out of the way of construction," the city explains on its City of Lee's Summit project page. That early suspension pushed the completion date by about 90 days. Even with those setbacks, the city currently lists overall completion as expected by summer 2027. According to the Federal Highway Administration, 'Accurate utility data can prevent construction delays, claims, and accidents,' highlighting subsurface utility engineering as a recommended way to reduce the kinds of utility-related delays seen on Pryor Road. The Federal Highway Administration's 'National Utility Program Review 2018' warns that utility coordination problems 'can negatively impact the project through potential cost increases and construction delays,' which matches the city's explanation that buried lines have delayed Pryor Road work. According to the Federal Highway Administration (.gov), its 2002 manual for controlling and reducing pavement utility cuts states that 'a subsurface utility engineering (SUE) study should be completed prior to construction.' Federal Highway Administration (.gov) materials note that utility coordination during project delivery falls 'within the purview of SUE,' highlighting SUE as a recommended practice to reduce utility-related delays.
Who Eats the Overrun Costs
Park told KSHB that if construction drags past the contract period, the financial hit falls on the contractor, not taxpayers. That has taken a bit of the sting out of the long timeline, but neighbors say the immediate hassle is already throwing off school logistics and commute planning. City staff say the work is being phased so that finished segments can reopen as they are completed in an effort to limit disruption, even if it does not feel that way on a Monday morning backup.
What to Expect Next
In mid-June, the city posted updates saying the stretch of Pryor between Longview and Scherer was expected to open June 19, while the segment south of Scherer would stay closed into July because of lingering utility work. Drivers are being warned to expect on-again, off-again closures and shifting detours as crews wrap up storm and utility work, pour sidewalks and complete paving, according to the City of Lee's Summit project page. Officials are urging residents to keep an eye on that page for the latest details on near-term closures and reopening timelines.
City documents show the project is funded largely through the 2017 half-cent sales-tax renewal and federal grants, and planners say the widened corridor is designed to handle area growth and improve safety. While nearby residents bristle at the short-term pain, city officials argue the redesigned four-lane roadway will reduce future congestion and support new development along Pryor Road. For now, people in Eagle Creek and beyond are weighing the promised payoff of a safer, more efficient corridor against weeks, and in some spots months, of daily disruption. The Missouri Department of Transportation says it 'has developed asset management plans for each district with the goal to maintain current pavement and bridge conditions,' providing statewide context on planning and maintenance priorities that frame local projects like Pryor Road. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation's Draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (May 6, 2026), the state documents surface transportation funding for highways and highway safety and lists a Lee's Summit contact at Lee's Summit, MO 64086-4712.
City documents show the project is funded largely through the 2017 half-cent sales-tax renewal and federal grants, and planners say the widened corridor is designed to handle area growth and improve safety. While nearby residents bristle at the short-term pain, city officials argue the redesigned four-lane roadway will reduce future congestion and support new development along Pryor Road. For now, people in Eagle Creek and beyond are weighing the promised payoff of a safer, more efficient corridor against weeks, and in some spots months, of daily disruption. The Missouri Department of Transportation says it 'has developed asset management plans for each district with the goal to maintain current pavement and bridge conditions,' providing statewide context on planning and maintenance priorities that frame local projects like Pryor Road.
