Douglas County Public Works Department on Tuesday will host an open house on a major road project that will add shoulders and allow for higher speed limits on County Road 458 southwest of the Clinton Lake dam.

The open house will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Wakarusa Valley Elementary School, 1104 East 1000 Road. Information on an upgrade will be shared with the public for the planned improvement to an about 5-mile section of CR 458 from East 800 Road north of Lone Star east and north to near its junction with North 1150 Road, which turns north to become East 900 Road over Clinton Dam.

The $3.4 million project, which is to get started early next year, is Douglas County Public Works’ big road and bridge capital project for 2017. Work will include replacement of undersized culverts, installation of paved shoulders, flattening roadway slopes and pavement resurfacing. Three 40 mph curves on the section will be upgraded to accommodate 55 mph traffic, said Douglas County Public Works Director Keith Browning.

The section to be improved is the only section of CR 458 between U.S. Highway 59 and Stull, which loops around the south side of Clinton Lake, that hasn’t been improved, Browning said.

Preliminary plans for the project will be available for review at the open house. The event will include four information stations, and public works staff will be on hand to answer questions and discuss such things as the project’s affect on property and rerouting traffic during construction.

Browning told the Douglas County Commission that the county has considerable work to do before the project on the road can start. That includes right-of-way acquisition and the relocation of utilities along CR 458.

The county plans to schedule another public meeting before construction starts in 2017. Those with questions should call the public works at 785-832-5293.