40 years ago: Federal agencies raise objections to Clinton Parkway plan

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Sept. 13, 1973:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was expecting to begin “impounding” water in the new Clinton Lake in 1975, but the Clinton Parkway leading to the reservoir had not been expected to be under contract until 1976 — and according to news received today, the wait for the road could be even longer. Glen Koontz, director of secondary roads for the Kansas Department of Highways, said that objections to the first draft of the environmental impact statement could “completely slam the door” on the road project. Koontz had received about 30 letters from state and federal agencies and had to answer all of their questions in the final statement, a process that he said could take two months, “but other ramifications could slow it down further, and could grind it to a halt.” The Environmental Protection Agency had requested an air quality control study, a process which Koontz termed a “whole new complicated thing that involves a lot of sophisticated equipment.” The Department of the Interior also had some objections to the draft, noting that the proposed road right-of-way only addressed the immediate situation and didn’t take into account the impact of future residential and commercial development that would probably follow road construction. The department also wanted more details, maps, and aerial photographs: “Historic and archeological values, fish and wildlife values, geology and hydrology are all but ignored,” the department charged. It was possible that the department would also require a bicycle route, an option that had been discussed but never seriously considered as part of the parkway plan.