Pleasant Valley Road Improvements
Modeling with virtual reality to create realistic roadway improvements.
Project Facts
| Location | Gladstone and Kansas City, Missouri |
| Owner | Gladstone and Kansas City |
| Size | 4450 LF |
| Cost | $6.4 million |
| Status | Completed 2018 |
Overview
Walter P Moore was selected by Gladstone and Kansas City, Missouri for this roadway improvement project that extended into both cities. The existing roadway was narrow with steep roadside ditches and had horizontal and vertical curves that required upgrades to meet current design standards and improve safety.
Services
About the project
The new Pleasant Valley Road consists of a three-lane asphalt roadway with concrete curb and gutter, a sidewalk on one side, a 10-foot wide multi-use path along a majority of the corridor, new LED streetlights, and landscaping elements including stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) to improve water quality.
However, the biggest challenge to the project was creating a roundabout in the roadway. Using the Civil 3D and SketchUp models previously made by the Walter P Moore team, we were able to create a virtual reality model of the proposed roundabout, which was used to provide a realistic experience of the proposed improvements during the design process.
As improvements started, 1,550 LF of Pleasant Valley Road was reconstructed while 2,900 LF of new horizontal alignment was designed through parcels of undeveloped land. Extensive grading was also required for this segment of the roadway. The roundabout was created with gateway signage and cross-road culverts and an underground storm sewer system were also added.
