TOPEKA – Hundreds of transportation projects that will preserve, expand and modernize the Kansas highway system have been scheduled for the next two years.
The projects, which will be funded under T-WORKS, the transportation program passed by the 2010 Legislature, will improve 1,404 miles of highway and replace 93 bridges. The work will be done in the 2012-13 fiscal years, which began July 1. The estimated cost of the projects is $650 million.
In addition to the construction work, the Kansas Department of Transportation will begin preliminary engineering on 22 projects that will be considered for future preservation work. Because these are more complex, they will take more time to get ready than other projects. This work has yet to be funded for construction.
Every year for the remainder of the 10-year T-WORKS program, KDOT will announce a two-year schedule of projects shortly after the July 1 start of the new fiscal year. That differs from earlier, multi-year transportation programs when nearly all of the projects were announced up front.
“By announcing two-year schedules on an annual basis, we can ensure that communities have an idea of what is coming and have ample time to plan accordingly,” said Transportation Secretary Deb Miller.
KDOT also has launched a performance measures website that will allow Kansans a way to monitor how well KDOT is taking care of the state transportation system. The website, https://kdotapp.ksdot.org/perfmeasures/, will display performance targets in six critical areas and measure the progress the agency has made in hitting those targets. The six areas include system condition, safety, project delivery, workforce, operations and non-highway modes.
“The performance measures website is another way to help KDOT increase transparency and accountability. It’s one of the tools we need to make good, data-based decisions,” said Secretary Miller.
The data on the site will be updated on a regular basis.
One of the projects in on K-17 for a bridge repair about 8-miles north of Kingman County Line on the north fork of the Ninnescah River, at a cost of $105,700.
But, KDOT is also in the beginning stages of another project in the Hutchinson area. That includes the reconstruction of U-S-50 to 4-lanes with interchanges at K-61, and at Airport and Yoder Rd.
The project was announced in February and will support traffic associated with industrial park area, including the Siemens Wind Turbine plant. The cost is around 50-million, but is expected to have an economic impact of 133-million.
Then there are two projects in Harvey County. One is on I-135, which is to reconstruct interchange at 36th Street in Newton. They says the interchange improvements will provide significant economic benefits to the region by opening access to the new industrial area and accommodating increasing over-length trucks associated with the wind turbine development. That’s at a cost of 14-million with an estimated economic impact of 220-million.
The other project in along U-S-50 to make it a 4-lane freeway, with a new interchange from 1 mile west of Anderson Rd to Old Main in Newton.
Officials say this is one of the region’s top priorities at a cost of 1-million, and an econimic impact of 31-million.