A map of southeastern Douglas County with a star marking the junction of U.S. Highway 56 and Kansas State Highway 33. A plan to expand a stretch of K-33 in Douglas and Franklin counties was selected to receive funding by Governor Laura Kelly.

The Kansas Department of Transportation has added a stretch of state highway in southeastern Douglas County and northeastern Franklin County to a list of upcoming road modernization projects.

The expansion of Kansas State Highway 33 was one of nine projects that Gov. Laura Kelly’s office and KDOT announced last week had been added to the state’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program construction pipeline. This is the fourth wave of projects to be moved into the pipeline under the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, or IKE program — a 10-year, nearly $10 billion program of transportation infrastructure improvements.

Philip Harris, a KDOT spokesman, told the Journal-World via email that the project is expected to begin by summer 2030. He said it would replace the existing 11-foot lanes on K-33 with 12-foot lanes and add 8-foot shoulders along the stretch of highway from Wellsville to the junction with U.S. Highway 56.

Harris said traffic through that corridor was expected to “increase significantly” in the next 20 years, and that the proposed upgrades would “prioritize safety, support future growth and maintain traffic flow.”

The state estimates that the project would cost around $26 million. The work in Douglas County would cost about $15 million, and the Franklin County portion would cost about $11 million.

More details about the timeline for construction will be shared closer to the start of the project, Harris said.

If you want to provide your input on which projects KDOT should prioritize in future rounds of the IKE program, there will be an opportunity for that on Tuesday night. KDOT will be hosting a virtual meeting from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; those who wish to give feedback can sign up on KDOT’s website.