By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission toured the county on Tuesday to personally assess road and bridge conditions needing attention.
Led by the Ellis County Public Works Department, the annual road tour began with a stop at the proposed Tallgrass Development solar project site in southwest Ellis County.
The stop was primarily to assess surrounding road conditions, culverts, and underground pipelines, not the project site itself, Ellis County Administrator Darin Myers said.
370th bridge
The tour included a stop at the recently replaced bridge on 370th Avenue over Big Creek, between Antonino Road and Grants Villa Road, to view the completed project.
The former bridge frequently flooded and collected debris, such as trees and stumps. The replacement was built higher and longer to reduce those issues.
Myers said the bridge was funded through a Kansas Local Bridge Improvement grant.
Pfeifer Avenue bridges
The tour also briefly stopped at a bridge near Pfeifer and Grants Villa Avenue, one of two Pfeifer Avenue bridges in need of repair.
The second bridge is about four miles south near Schoenchen Road.
Myers said both bridges show surface deterioration, with exposed rebar noted by Commissioner Nathan Leiker. He said the bridges will receive deck overlays rather than full replacements to reduce costs.
"The bridges would be millions of dollars a piece to replace. We can spend a couple of $100,000 to rehab them, and they would last maybe up to 40 years," he said.
Leiker suggested redoing guardrails in addition to resurfacing the bridge near Grants Villa Avenue.
210th Avenue
The commission traveled through 210th Avenue south of Old Highway 40, which Ellis County Public Works Director Brendan Mackay said sees eight to 10 vehicles per day.
Leiker discussed with Myers about whether to improve the lightly traveled road, considering its costs.
Leiker said the main issues include poor drainage, erosion and narrowing caused by improperly maintained ditches. He said total reconstruction is not needed, but rather maintenance-level improvements.
"Reintegrate the material that's already in the ditch onto the road surface," Leiker said. "Pretty much pull the edges and give it a reshape. I think that's a workable solution."
Myers said safety improvements could include cutting down hilltops along 210th Avenue to improve sight distance.
210th Avenue will be on a future commission agenda for further discussion, Myers said.
Old Highway 40
The commission drove through the Old Highway 40 and Eighth Street interchange. Mackay said the interchange was recently patched, as the road consisted of cracked panels.
Despite the repairs, Leiker said driving through it at about 5 to 10 mph was “really rough.”
Mackay discussed ways to improve that section of Old Highway 40 and prevent drivers from traveling the wrong way.
Possible reconstruction of the interchange is expected after 2030, Myers said.
Ellis County Landfill
The commission made its final stop at the Ellis County Landfill. Myers said there is a planned project to replace the concrete floors in a dumping building, which is currently undergoing repairs following damage caused by an individual who struck the building.
Further expansion to the building was also discussed for 2027.
The tour also made stops at several subdivisions, such as the one on Hilltop Drive, Stonewood Estates North Addition, Big Creek Additions and Hays City Suburban Estates, some of which are considering community improvement districts to fund road improvements.
Other locations the Ellis County road tour visited included:
• Riverview Road
• Chetolah Gold Road
• Catharine Road
• 320th Avenue
• Yocemento Avenue
• Butterfield Trail Road
• Vincent Road
• Toulon Avenue