photo by: John English

Progress on the $4 billion Panasonic battery plant in De Soto is pictured on June 2, 2023. The plant, slated to begin operations in 2025, is expected to bring thousands of jobs to the area.

State officials announced Thursday that work is beginning on a $61 million road construction project to serve the $4 billion Panasonic battery plant project that is being constructed in nearby De Soto.

Gov. Laura Kelly, Sen. Jerry Moran and Rep. Sharice Davids were on hand Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony for a road project that will begin just east of the Douglas County line and will run by the Panasonic battery plant and into De Soto.

The project will be along 103rd Street, which is just south of Kansas Highway 10 and runs parallel to the busy state highway. The street is often referred to as Old K-10 Highway, as it previously served as the state highway.

Plans call for the road — currently a narrow two-lane, paved country road — to be widened to a four-lane road with a divider down the middle. The project also will include curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

The project largely will follow the current path of 103rd Street, according to information released by the state. The western edge of the project will begin at the intersection of Evening Star Road, which is the first interchange east of the county line between Douglas and Johnson counties. The eastern edge of the project will be at the Lexington Road interchange with K-10. That is the main interchange for the city of De Soto.

The Panasonic plant is located between the Evening Star and De Soto interchanges on a portion of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. A large business park also is developing at the Evening Star Road interchange, and it will be served by the new 103rd Street project.

The state did not release information on when the road project will be completed, but state officials said it is on an expedited schedule. The Panasonic battery plant is expected to open in early 2025. In addition to the 4,000 jobs that are expected to be created by Panasonic, state officials are projecting that another 4,000 jobs will be created near the site for companies that work with the battery manufacturer.

The road project is being funded through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s economic development program.