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Here's how De Soto, Kansas, is getting ready for massive Panasonic plant's 2025 opening

All kinds of infrastructure developments are being made out in De Soto, like this new roundabout at 103rd & Astra Parkway.
Clarkson Construction
All kinds of infrastructure developments are being made out in De Soto, like this new roundabout at 103rd & Astra Parkway.

De Soto, Kansas, was selected by the company Panasonic as the site of its $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant in 2022, bringing 4,000 new jobs to the region. Now, just over one year away from the plant's planned opening, numerous public and private infrastructure developments are well underway in preparation.

Panasonic in 2022 chose De Soto, Kansas, as the site of its new $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant. The facility will bring 4,000 jobs to the region. As they prepare for a spring 2025 opening, the city, county and state are working on multiple infrastructure projects to accommodate an influx of workers and residents.

City Administrator Mike Brungardt told KCUR's Up To Date that water and sewage treatment, miles of roads and a new fire station are in the works, among other projects.

"The city is not alone in doing this. We have partners with Johnson County who are busy and hard at work, implementing the fire station project," Brungardt said. We've got state agencies, the Kansas Department of Transportation doing the road projects. And the Department of Health and Environment has been a valuable resource in implementing the water treatment and wastewater treatment projects."

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When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
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