First Mahomes’ Whataburger opens this week in Kansas City, Kansas. Here’s traffic plan

Headed to the opening of the first Whataburger for the franchise that includes Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes? Kansas City, Kansas, police have a traffic alert for you.

KMO Burger, the franchise that includes Mahomes, plans to open its first restaurant at 11 a.m. Tuesday at 10780 Parallel Parkway, north of the Legends Outlets Kansas City shopping mall in western Kansas City, Kansas.

Because Whataburger openings tend to attract long lines of customers, there will be special traffic pattern changes in the area to accommodate the anticipated crowds, Nancy Chartrand, a spokeswoman for Kansas City, Kansas, police said in an email.

Beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday, the right lane of westbound Parallel Parkway will be coned off just west of North 106th Street. This lane will be used for the drive-thru traffic. Drivers will follow it west to Village West Parkway, where they will turn north. At the access road, drivers will head east into the Whataburger parking lot.

For those headed to other businesses nearby, they should use northbound North 106th Street or northbound Village West Parkway. Eastbound traffic on Parallel Parkway will be limited to the inside left turn lane onto Village West Parkway.

Digital message boards will be in place to help direct traffic.

Drivers who plan to be in the area should be aware and plan ahead for the changes, the police department said. The traffic pattern changes will remain in effect until 5 p.m. next Sunday.

KMO, which is paying for police and private security to help direct traffic as needed, plans to open 30 Whataburgers over the next seven years from Wichita to St. Joseph.