OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — People living along U.S. 69 in Overland Park, Kansas, can participate in a series of virtual meetings this week with the Kansas Department of Transportation to learn more about the agency’s proposal to build 14 noise walls along a roughly 10-mile stretch of the highway where KDOT will add express toll lanes.

Meetings Monday addressed walls north of 135th Street. Tuesday’s meeting at 4:30 p.m. will address walls on the east side of the highway, south of 135th Street. Wednesday at 5 p.m., KDOT will discuss walls on the west side of the highway, south of 135th Street. Meetings at 5 p.m. Thursday and 11:30 a.m. Friday are all-inclusive.

Details on how to attend one of the virtual meetings are available on KDOT’s website dedicated to the project.

KDOT has identified which residences (homes and apartments) along the highway stand to benefit in a 5 decibel or greater reduction in noise from a wall and mailed those addresses a ballot.

Tenants and property owners at those addresses need to return their ballots by Feb. 7.

At least 70 percent of votes must be in favor for KDOT to construct the wall. There is a separate vote for each of the 14 proposed walls.

Project leaders said the walls would be made of concrete panels between steel beams and would average 12 to 16 feet tall. They would look almost identical to walls on U.S. 69 north of Interstate 435.

The contractor expanding the highway would not be required to build the walls before the highway. Project leaders expect the walls to go up later in the construction process.

“Mostly because the erection of the walls can significantly limit the contractor’s ability to access the site, get equipment and materials into the areas where they’re trying to work,” explained Cameron McGown, a project director with HNTB, which is assisting KDOT on this project.

Most of the construction to widen U.S. 69 from 103rd Street to 151st Street will take place in 2023 and 2024, ending in 2025.