New U.S. 50/U.S. 281 roundabout is taking shape

Traffic meets at the current U.S. 50/U.S. 281 intersection, which is being converted to a roundabout.

By Tim Potter

South Central Kansas Public Affairs Manager

On a summer day, the intersection of U.S. 50 and U.S. 281 looks and sounds like a busy place for a remote spot.

Just beyond the intersection, in Stafford County, it’s wide-open country – 3 miles south of St. John, 48 miles west of Hutchinson, 28 miles south of Great Bend. It’s a quilt of tree lines and crops, cattle and cattails. For stretches, the only movement on the hot pavement is tiny toads trying to hop from one side to another.

At the intersection of the two highways, traffic across a wide expanse of south-central Kansas converges, engines whirring, gears shifting. Big rigs rumble straight through without having to stop, blowing east and west on U.S. 50, while north and south traffic on U.S. 281 is signaled to stop before rolling on. At times, several vehicles line up before east-west traffic clears.

But everything about that key intersection is about to change in a big way: Around four weeks from now, the first key temporary change will be that traffic in all directions will have to stop before proceeding. That’s so construction can continue on a roundabout interchange.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is overseeing the project. Venture Corp., of Great Bend, is the primary contractor for the $5.2 million project.

The roundabout is designed to improve safety – with less chance of a high-speed, T-bone collision – and to ease the way for oversized trailers carrying, for example, huge wind-farm parts. Now, big loads have a hard time maneuvering through the square interchange.

Construction Engineer James Middleton, left, and Engineering Technician Specialist Doug Coates check roundabout plans.

Roundabouts help improve safety because they cause traffic to slow down, said James Middleton, a South Central Kansas Construction Engineer based in Pratt. The 15-year KDOT veteran is overseeing inspection of the interchange project. The project coordinator is Doug Coates, Engineering Technician Specialist has more than 30 years of field experience.

The roundabout will be composed of two spheres: a diamond-shaped outer road for the largest loads and a separate circular road inside the diamond for regular vehicles. Vehicles enter the circle by yielding to the left.

Crews are building legs of the diamond now. For a while, drivers will be using temporary roadway at the intersection. Traffic will be shifted around as the roundabout gets constructed in phases.

For visibility, the completed roundabout will be illuminated with 16 street lights – four at each approach.

The contractor’s schedule has a completion date of Dec. 13.


Check out our drone video of the project here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyxTNpMuN9c


You can learn more about roundabouts and why KDOT uses them here:
https://www.ksdot.org/burtrafficeng/Roundabouts/Roundabout_Guide/RoundaboutGuide.asp

Roundabout project in Stafford County one of February's approved projects

KDOT's south central Kansas Area One Engineer stands at the junction of U.S. 50/U.S. 281, where the new roundabout will be built.  

Work is expected to begin this spring on construction of a single-lane roundabout at the U.S. 50/U.S. 281 junction in Stafford County. KDOT let the project recently.

KDOT's south central Kansas Area One Engineer Scott Mullen said that there were a number of factors that contributed to building a roundabout instead of an interchange. 

"This style of roundabout is being built with special ramps to accommodate the large number of oversize loads that move through central Kansas on US-50 and US-281," Mullen said. "These ramps will allow the large loads to move safely around the exterior, while cars, pickups and normal sized trucks can move quickly through the interior roundabout." 

Mullen said safety was another consideration. 

“The roundabout prevents T-bone accidents, which can still happen at an interchange,” he said, also noting that a roundabout is about half the cost of an interchange.

Roundabouts also are more efficient than interchanges as they keep traffic moving. Turning vehicles don’t have to stop.

The junction will remain open during the phased $5.2 million project.

To read more about the other approved projects, click here.