Work to begin soon on Garden City’s U.S. 50/83 bypass

KDOT Crews in Garden City hoist a detour sign into place. 

 The U.S. 50/83/400 bypass in Garden City is one of the most heavily traveled highways in Southwest Kansas carrying almost 11,000 vehicles per day with 23 percent of those being heavy commercial traffic. 

According to Brian Kierath, Jr. with KDOT’s Bureau of Road Design in Topeka, “This project is a full depth pavement reconstruction to replace concrete and asphalt pavement, some of which dates back to 1984. Pavement age, combined with a high percentage of truck traffic makes this a necessary project at this time.”

Koss Construction is the contractor on this $11.2 million project which started Wednesday, March 20 and is expected to be completed in December. 

The project will be completed in phases and includes the following improvements:    

• The addition of turn lanes at Campus Drive facilitating smoother traffic flow;
• Improved lighting at the Fulton Street interchange;
• A dynamic messaging sign (DMS) being added along U.S. 50 east of Campus Drive to advise drivers of road conditions; 
• Improvements to the City system at Spruce Street through a partnership between the City of Garden City and KDOT which will limit road closures at this intersection for the traveling public.

KDOT crews in Garden City install signage the help drivers navigate the detour.

U.S. 169 reconstruction continues with closure on the south end of the project

After U.S. 169 was closed between Delaware and Hawaii roads, pavement demolition immediately began on the concrete mainline and ramp pavement.

U.S. 169 north of Hawaii Road is completed and open to
traffic to and from Humboldt.

In early December, activity on the seven-mile long U.S. 169 pavement reconstruction project in Allen County switched from north to south. Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc., the contractor, has now closed to traffic the south two miles on the project, between Delaware (Tank Farm) Road and Hawaii Road at Humboldt. Following closure of the south end, the newly constructed five-mile stretch from Hawaii north to Minnesota roads was reopened to two-way traffic.

Work on the entire $16 million improvement began in May 2018. All concrete on the mainline highway pavement and ramps is being replaced, along with the reestablishment of a new subgrade base for the highway. KDOT has also installed wicking geotextile fabric in two 1,000-foot long test sections to help solve moisture-related problems and prolong the life of the pavement.

The official detour route is signed on K-39, U.S. 75 and U.S. 54. KDOT expects to open the entire seven miles of new U.S. 169 roadway in late spring 2019, weather permitting.

KDOT lets project to reconstruct pavement on U.S. 169 in southeast Kansas

KDOT will begin a pavement reconstruction on U.S. 169 in Allen County this spring. The 7.2-mile project begins five miles north of the Neosho-Allen county line and ends 2.7 miles south of U.S. 54 at Iola.

A project to reconstruct the pavement on a section of U.S. 169 in Allen County was included in KDOT’s February letting. Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc., of Kansas City, Mo., was the apparent low bidder on the $17 million improvement.

The U.S. 169 concrete driving surface has deteriorated since it was constructed close to 40 years ago.

The scope of the work involves replacing the mainline concrete driving pavement and the pavement on interchange ramps. The project begins at Delaware Road, located approximately five miles north of the Neosho-Allen county line, and continues north for just over seven miles to Minnesota Road. Work is expected to begin in late spring and continue into 2019. During construction traffic will be placed on a signed detour along U.S. 54, U.S. 75 and K-39.

Numerous cracks in the U.S. 169 pavement have required considerable maintenance through the years.

This stretch of U.S. 169 in Allen County was built with concrete in the early 1980’s. Heavy traffic use and varied weather conditions have resulted in numerous driving surface imperfections. In previous years these flaws were smoothed out by a process known as diamond grinding, which helped preserve the pavement while limiting disruptions to traffic. A full pavement replacement is now necessary. The reconstruction will take place within the existing highway right-of-way.

This photo shows diamond grinding on U.S. 169 in Neosho County, performed during 2017. Several times in previous years diamond grinding has been used on the Allen County highway pavement to smooth out imperfections.

“Because I know someone who is still with KDOT who provided inspection on this project when it was initially constructed, it doesn’t seem like it but, that pavement is approaching 40 years old,” said Jim Metcalfe, KDOT Southeast District Construction Engineer. “Maintaining it to an acceptable standard has become increasingly difficult in recent years and it will be a relief to our maintenance personnel to have this pavement replaced.”