Chipman Road Bridge Renamed in Honor of former Lee's Summit Mayor Alfred "Al" C. Johnson
12.17.09
Chipman Road Bridge Renamed in Honor of former Lee's Summit Mayor Alfred "Al" C. Johnson
Kelli Welch, City of Lee’s Summit
Submitted Photo: Alfred "Al" C. Johnson
Chipman Road Bridge is now the “Alfred C. Johnson Memorial Bridge” renamed in honor of the former Lee’s Summit mayor who is remembered for his foresight to make significant upgrades to Chipman Road. In 1970, the City’s Board of Aldermen approved a recommendation from the Thoroughfare Advisory Committee to construct a four-lane thoroughfare on Chipman Road from U.S. 50 Highway to Douglas.
Alfred “Al” Johnson, who died in 2008, was the mayor of Lee’s Summit for two terms from 1968 -1972.
Two plaques are now permanently affixed to the former Chipman Road Bridge that read:
Alfred C. Johnson
Memorial Bridge
Lee’s Summit Mayor 1968-72
For his vision to improve Chipman Road
The City will host a ceremony in honor of the bridge renaming, where the family of former Mayor “Al” Johnson will receive a copy of the bridge plaque. The ceremony is open to the public and will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 26, in Lee’s Summit City Hall, 220 SE Green St., Lee’s Summit.
“This is a well deserved honor for former Mayor Al Johnson for his extraordinary vision and wisdom to improve Chipman Road,” said Lee’s Summit Mayor Karen Rose Messerli. “Chipman Road is a major thoroughfare in Lee’s Summit providing access to neighborhoods, businesses, restaurants, and retail shops, such as the City’s newest development Summit Fair,” said Mayor Messerli. “When you think about it, the leadership of Al Johnson helped to pave the way for the significant development, growth, and progress that we have come to love and enjoy along Chipman Road today. We owe him a great deal of thanks,” she said.
Former Mayor “Al” Johnson faced countless growth issues while serving as the mayor of Lee’s Summit. A major annexation finalized in 1964 required forward-thinking leadership in order to prepare the City for extensive growth. And while new development might have been a driving force, former Mayor “Al” Johnson also had to deal with issues that are still faced by today’s civic leaders, such as aging infrastructure, funding of improvements and the responsibility of determining fair fees and charges with extreme economic changes.
The following are some major achievements for the City during former Mayor “Al’ Johnson’s mayoral tenure:
■1968 - Established Parks & Recreation Department Board of Directors
■1968 - Contracted for and opened the landfill
■1969 – Board of Aldermen, now Lee’s Summit City Council, voted to proceed with final construction plans for Chipman Road
■1969 – Police and Fire stations built downtown
■1969 – Second Street underpass was opened. Prior to this project, all east/west routes were blocked when trains traveled through downtown Lee’s Summit
■1970 – Approval of Thoroughfare Advisory Committee recommendation to construct a four-lane thoroughfare on Chipman Road from U.S. 50 Highway to Douglas.
■1970 – Fire Station #3 built
■1970 – Established a Junior Planning Commission of nine students to work with the Planning Commission
■1970 – Andes & Roberts Construction unveiled original plans to the Board of Aldermen for a development called “Lake Lee’s Summit,” known today as Lakewood
■1971 – City began exploring the possibility of making the existing McComas Airport the Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport
■1972 – A six-member Commission of Fire Prevention was created & the Fire Department was awarded first place in the state by the National Fire Prevention Association
The renaming of the bridge after the former Lee’s Summit mayor marks the first time that the City has renamed a bridge in honor of a mayor.
For more information, contact the City’s Administration Department at (816) 969-1010.
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