First public involvement meeting on K-10 expansion held

An aerial view of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Study for the South Lawrence Trafficway

Approximately 250 interested citizens and stakeholders attended the first of a series of public involvement opportunities set to be held throughout the Supplemental Environmental Impact Study period for the South Lawrence Trafficway.

The public meeting held November 14 focused on the existing conditions of the K-10 corridor and gathering input from the public on the project goals. 

The study underway will examine the benefits and impacts of improving the west leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway from just north of I-70 at N. 1800 Road to just east of the 23^rd Street interchange.  The public is being asked to participate in the process of selecting the preferred alternative and identifying proposed funding options.

Traffic volumes, delays and crashes have increased on the west portion of the trafficway since the east portion was opened in 2016.  The proposed project is needed to reduce congestion, enhance safety, promote a multi-modal transportation system and support local
and regional growth.

A member of the public places a green sticker on the aerial map. Attendees could place colored dots on that map to express their concerns about the various areas along the SLT. 

Preliminary design estimates for upgrading the corridor to a freeway and widening the highway to four lanes with grade separated interchanges is as much as $300 million.  There is currently no funding set aside for the project, and KDOT is exploring a variety of revenue sources to expand the system.

The public involvement process establishes multiple opportunities for the public to engage with KDOT to get information, provide input and participate in the process of selecting the project that is consistent with the city’s and the county’s long-term growth and development plans.

As part of the study process, a project website has been established for the public to provide comments, request community presentations and view project materials. For more information on the project and the study process go to www.slt-ks.org

The next public meeting is planned for early 2019. 

Two projects win ACPA Gold Awards

Aerial view of the South Lawrence Trafficway

KDOT projects continue to receive national attention. Earlier this month, the South Lawrence Trafficway (SLT) and a reconstruction project on U.S. 56 in Gray County received Gold Awards from the American Concrete Pavement Association at the Annual Excellence in Concrete Pavement Awards ceremony.

According to the ACPA, the awards program recognizes high-quality workmanship in concrete pavement project while serving to provide exposure as well as share information on highly successful projects. The program recognizes contractors, engineers, and project owners who completed the projects.

The South Lawrence Trafficway received a Gold Award in the Divided Highways Rural Division. The six-mile, four-lane freeway moved the existing K-10 onto a new alignment which has had a positive impact on travelers in Johnson, Douglas and Shawnee counties.

The $138 million project also contributed to the creation of 300 new acres of wetlands and bike paths.  Although the span of the project was only 6 miles, it was a total of 43.23 actual lane miles and the project wrapped up ahead of schedule.  The project is expected to benefit the region by $3.7 billion, the largest of any project under the T-WORKS program.

The SLT also received a Sustainable Practices Recognition award for its efforts to protect plants and animals in the Baker Wetlands. 

“Your lasting work provides a well-designed, long lasting highway while also meeting the delicate need for ecological balance in the wetlands,” according to the award.

HNTB Corp. was the engineer and Emery Sapp & Sons Inc., was the contractor on this KDOT project.

U.S. 56 in Ensign.

The reconstruction project of U.S. 56 in Gray County also won a Gold Award in the State Highway division. The project included a combined 7.6 miles of concrete reconstruction in the towns of Ensign and Montezuma.

According to the ACPA, the “Hardroaders” at Koss Construction Co. and their team of subcontractors didn’t waste time starting the project. The scope for the project was a four-phase project to be completed in 319 working days.

“With excellent communication and coordination between KDOT and the Koss team, the project was completed within the schedule, giving the owner and road users a high-quality, durable pavement.”

Transystems was the engineer for the project in Montezuma, the project in Ensign was designed by Professional Engineering Consultants and Koss Construction Co. was the contractor on this KDOT project.

The Kansas Department of Transportation takes pride in all of the projects and endeavors throughout the state and looks forward to continuing to provide these types of high-quality services to the people of Kansas.