Even after being forced to cut a whopping $309,944.32 check from Douglas County’s bank account Thursday morning, Jere McElhaney managed to crack a smile.

Saving $80,000 on a road project will do that for an elected official.

“Boy, that’s some good news for a change,” said McElhaney, chairman of the county commission.

The money represents the county’s estimated share of a $1.4 million state project to rebuild and upgrade a 2.3-mile section of Douglas County Road 442  commonly known as Stull Road  west of Douglas County Road 1029.

The project will widen lanes, add shoulders and improve sight lines for drivers on the popular commuter route between Lawrence and Topeka. The road carries about 3,600 vehicles each day, up from 2,400 in 1985.

During Thursday’s commission meeting, McElhaney and Commissioner Bob Johnson agreed to comply with the Kansas Department of Transportation’s requirement that the county pay its share of the project’s construction cost and engineering fees up front.

King’s Construction Co. Inc., of Oskaloosa, agreed to handle the work for $1.4 million, or $400,000 less than the project’s $1.8 million budget.

That means the county will save about $80,000 on the deal, which commissioners considered a welcome byproduct of a weak economy. All five bidders for the job offered to rebuild the road for less than the state and county had been willing to pay.

“When times are a little bit slow and times are a little bit hard in the construction industry, that’s an advantage to the taxpayers,” said McElhaney, owner of McElhaney Fence Builders Inc. “Bids tend to come in a little bit lower.”

The road will be closed to through traffic during construction, which is expected to begin later this month. The project is scheduled to be completed within six months.