County hits bump on U.S. 59 plans

Commission must decide how to deal with projects KDOT won't handle

Kansas Department of Transportation officials are taking some projects tied to U.S. Highway 59 improvements off of Douglas County’s hands, but not all of them.

KDOT plans to turn U.S. 59 between Lawrence and Ottawa into a four-lane freeway. The project, estimated to cost $210 million, will begin in April 2007 when KDOT starts bidding out phases of the plan, said agency spokesman Steve Swartz.

KDOT officials informed the county that they thought all six projects the county wanted were warranted, but they agreed to incorporate just four of them into the state plan.

Wednesday, county commissioners will discuss how to deal with the two remaining projects.

“There were some local road projects that we felt would be necessary because of the U.S. 59 highway project,” said county Public Works Director Keith Browning.

Browning said the two projects KDOT wanted to leave to the county were:

l Upgrading East 1300 Road between North 100 and North 150 roads. Cost for the project is estimated at $79,000, not including rights-of-way purchases or engineering fees.

l Adding a second access to Berg Acres, a residential subdivision southeast of the existing U.S. 59 and North 1100 Road. The state’s current plans allow for only one access, down from the three that exist today. Browning said the county public works department estimated this project would cost about $93,000, and the cost of purchasing rights-of-way would be another $74,000.

Browning said he had drafted a letter to KDOT officials, but it could change depending on what the commissioners decide Wednesday night. The letter drafted by Browning states the county would accept responsibility to upgrade East 1300 Road, but not the access project for Berg Acres.

The county commission will discuss the matter when they meet at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Mass.

The Kansas Department of Transportation has agreed to adopt four of six project recommendations from Douglas County commissioners as part of scheduled U.S. Highway 59 improvements. The following are the four accepted recommendations:¢ Eliminating a previously planned grade separation, which is like an overpass or underpass without a ramp, at North 200 Road.¢ Making the proposed frontage road east of U.S. 59 between U.S. Highway 56 and North 200 Road continuous.¢ Constructing a grade separation at North 550 Road.¢ Extending the frontage road on the east side of new U.S. 59 between North 500 and North 550 roads.