By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Last year, the city of Great Bend applied for and was awarded federal grant funding through the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program to develop a comprehensive safety action plan. In September, the body approved the grant of $200,000, which includes $160,000 in federal funding, with the remaining $40,000 paid by the city. Monday night, Public Works Director David Dunekack asked the council to move forward with JEO, the city's on-call engineering firm, to conduct the study.
"This initiative will involve hiring engineering consultants to conduct a comprehensive safety analysis," Dunekack said. "The study will include a review of crash data and consider the needs of all road users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers. The outcome will be a set, recommended policy of process improvements, as well as potential infrastructure enhancements."
Dunekack said the process will include collaborations with community groups, public agencies, and other stakeholders in the city. The city posted a request for qualifications from firms interested in the project. Wichita-based JEO was one of three firms to submit a bid. Dunekack said JEO was already familiar with the city's layout.
"They have a one-year timeline to conduct this study, compared to the other firms that had nine months and a 15-month timeline, and their current team includes the former Kansas state highway safety engineer," Dunekack told the council.
At the September meeting, JEO's Brad Shores told the council having a safety action plan would significantly strengthen the city's position when applying for future transportation-related grants. Using the Safe Streets for All program would amount to getting the study done for 20 cents on the dollar.