Clearing the Path
Overview
The City of Osawatomie, Kansas, is launching Clearing the Path, community-wide infrastructure initiative focused on improving pedestrian and bicycle mobility. Each of the projects included in this effort addresses a physical obstacle that currently prevents safe and seamless travel between neighborhoods, parks, schools, and public spaces. From historic river crossings to active railroad lines, Clearing the Path is focused on restoring access, building safer routes, and enhancing Osawatomie’s walkability while honoring the city’s legacy.
Project Background
Osawatomie’s built environment presents a unique set of mobility challenges. The community is divided by the Union Pacific railroad and bordered on the north by the Marais de Cygne River and on the south by Pottawatomie Creek. These natural and man-made features limit connectivity and sometimes strand residents, especially when trains block at-grade crossings. Additionally, gaps in the pedestrian network throughout town make walking or biking from place to place more difficult and sometimes dangerous.
The Clearing the Path initiative is the direct result of a multi-year visioning and planning process, including two phases of the Oz Commons Planning Sustainable Places (PSP) study led by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC).
- PSP Phase I (2020–2021) focused on downtown revitalization and establishing an active transportation framework. Community input from over 500 participants prioritized safer walking and biking infrastructure and called for stronger connections between neighborhoods, downtown, schools, and trails. The Phase I report laid the foundation for expanding shared-use paths and improving trail connectivity.
- PSP Phase II (2022–2023) built on this momentum by narrowing the focus to key implementation strategies, including safe trail crossings, downtown mobility improvements, and sidewalk infill. This phase helped define design priorities and identify funding pathways, paving the way for the pedestrian bridges, trail links, and sidewalk initiatives now advancing through Clearing the Path.
Together, these PSP studies established a shared community vision and a clear action plan that the City is now executing through Clearing the Path and has been broken down into three main categories:
Funding Status
The City has already secured key investments to begin improving pedestrian access across Osawatomie. This includes $1.5 million in state Cost Share funding for pedestrian and shared-use path upgrades along the 6th Street corridor. Additionally, the City was awarded $1.5 million in federal Transportation Alternatives (TA) funding to construct new sidewalks and trail segments that expand the city’s non-motorized transportation network. The City is also planning additional investment through a local sidewalk improvement and cost-share program.
To support future phases of the Clearing the Path initiative, the City applied for a Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) planning grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2024 to fund design and feasibility work for a pedestrian overpass over the railroad in the downtown corridor. Unfortunately, that application was not selected for funding. An $85,500 match from the Kansas Build Fund has been tentatively reserved for the project but cannot be accessed without securing a primary funding source.
City staff are currently exploring other grant opportunities, including but not limited to:
- RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity)
- Transportation Alternatives (TA) program
- SS4A (Safe Street and Roads for All)
- State Bridge grants
- Reapplying to the Kansas Build Fund for matching construction funds once planning dollars are secured
The city remains committed to moving forward with project design and identifying the right mix of federal, state, and local funding to implement these transformational improvements.
Community Support and Commitment
Key community stakeholders including USD 367, public safety agencies, and emergency services have voiced strong support for the Clearing the Path initiative. The projects address long-standing safety concerns for students, residents, and emergency responders, and they provide safer alternatives to crossing tracks unsafely. Public engagement through the PSP study and other outreach has shown that Osawatomie residents value walkability, access to recreation, and the preservation of their community’s history.
Want to get involved? You can join the conversation by participating in the surveys below: