From Barton County...
On Tuesday morning, Barton County Commissioners approved a three-party agreement with Kirkham Michael & Associates and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) for inspection services on the High-Risk Rural Roads Signing Project covering the southwest quadrant of the county.
Under the agreement, the Ellsworth-based engineering firm will provide an on-site inspector to monitor and document the installation of no-passing pennants (triangular yellow road signs) by the construction contractor. KDOT will cover 100% of participating costs up to an upper compensation limit of $57,116.93, meaning no direct cost to Barton County unless expenses exceed this limit or for non-participating costs, County Engineer Barry McManaman said.
This marks the third and final phase of this project, which also included design previously conducted by Kirkham Michael and the construction, which was green-lighted last week. The total cost was around $160,000, under the $171,000 maximum allowed by KDOT.
The state is covering the entire cost of the work, McManaman said.
The HRRR project taps Federal Highway Administration funds in an effort aimed at enhancing safety and reducing crash rates.