By DALE HOGG
Barton County Media Consultant
The Barton County Commission on Tuesday approved an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) covering the roughly two-mile expansion of U.S. 56 into a four-lane roadway with a grassed median from the eastern Great Bend city limits to the U.S. 56-K-156 junction.
"The agreement specifies future maintenance and administrative responsibilities for the relocated local road connections that will be constructed," said County Engineer Barry McManaman. It also outlines the terms of the county's 10% local match for the estimated $18 million project.
In lieu of a $1.8 million payment, KDOT agreed to credit the county's expenditures on two already-completed hot-mix overlay projects on NE 30 Road, provided the county pays for the replacement of a bridge on NE 20 Avenue at NE 3 Road. State officials said these improvements will also benefit the expansion effort.
The total cost for these comes to about $2 million, which will satisfy the match requirement, he said.
Improvements will include adding two new lanes, reconstructing existing lanes to create a four-lane divided expressway, improving the K-156 intersection with a recommended "unsignalized" "Green T" layout, and limiting highway access for safety.
Additionally, three access points will be removed and relocated to improve safety and limit conflicts, McManaman said. These include:
· The East Barton County Road entrance onto U.S. 56 will be removed and redirected to intersect with Kiowa Road.
· On NE 40 Avenue, the access point on the north side of U.S. 56 will be removed and relocated to a frontage road with access from K-156.
· A north-side field entrance east of Fort Zarah State Park will be removed, with a new access point established.
The project is in the early design/study phase but is not yet funded for construction. The bid letting is planned for 2030.
With the cost of the undertaking increasing over time, "this (agreement) caps what we have to contribute so we don’t owe any more," said Commission Chairperson Tricia Schlessiger.
"This was a tough decision for me," said Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson. Although he questioned spending county tax dollars on a state highway, he recognized the economic benefit to the county.
"If you want to lower property taxes, you can cut services ... or you can grow your population," he said. The expanded U.S. 56 will help promote this growth.
This project was identified as a high regional priority during meetings with local officials and residents and was selected for the 10-year Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE) Construction Pipeline in September 2023.
The state will begin right-of-way acquisition closer to the project start date.