By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Elected officials from the Hays area emphasized the need for improvements to bridge at the U.S. Highway 183 Bypass and Interstate 70 interchange during a Kansas Department of Transportation feedback session on Wednesday.
The bridge reconstruction, which would be a $19 million project, would be an extension of the Northwest Business Corridor Project. The business corridor project is aimed at diverting commercial traffic and oversized loads around the City of Hays.
Right now, most of that truck traffic travels on Vine Street through the middle of Hays.
Ellis County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said hazardous materials are regularly transported through the middle of Hays, including past Holy Family Elementary School and very close to residential areas.
He added the narrow bridge and a blind spot for vehicles traveling north leads to near misses at the interchange several times per day. There also is no stoplight at the interchange.
Hays Mayor Sandy Jacobs said the City of Hays has $35 million in infrastructure projects underway in the area. The 55th Street reconfiguration just north of the junction is supposed to be completed by the end of the week.
Staking Northwest Business Corridor project will begin in November, with construction starting in February or March. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022.
The area that will be serviced by the corridor has three major businesses, employing 1,500 workers, Jacobs said. In addition, a new truck plaza is planned for the corner of the junction.
Jacobs and other local officials who attended the meeting by Zoom said the project is important to economic development in Hays.
"I see it as a new gateway to Fort Hays State University," Jacobs said. "I see that being used a lot. I think that's going to be huge."
The city is anticipating so much growth in that area the city has entered into an engineering contract for a new fire station in the area.
State Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays, said the Northwest Business Corridor will make the community safer and create opportunities to further economic development.
"What we should of thought of at the time was to add this bridge to it," she said. "There's been a lot of time from members of the community, Fort Hays and Ellis County and state and federal people. ... to leave this unfinished would be a shame, because it is something that truly needs to be part of the project that is going on now."
Doug Williams, Grow Hays director, echoed Wasingers' concerns.
"There's economic development reasons and safety reasons [for the project,] he said. "To leave that stretch of the overall project undone, would be unfortunate. It needs to be a high priority."
U.S. 281<br>
Work is already underway on reconstruction of U.S. Highway 281 north of Russell. The current phase was let last year, and the second phase of that project will be let in March 2022.
However, the community group also placed emphasis on two more phases of that project, which would extend the reconstruction from Kansas Highway 18 west to Luray and then from Luray to north to Osborne.
"A continued focus on north U.S. 281 is extremely important to us locally," Kayla Schneider with the City of Russell said. "Locally, we had business expansion that will be creating major truck traffic increase.
"We feel that 281 reconstruction is imperative to continued economic development."
Community member said they would not allow their children drive on these two section of road. They are narrow and lack shoulders, yet they are designated for wide loads.
The project from the K-18 west to Luray is estimated to cost $20 million. The Luray north to Osborne project would cost an estimated $53 million.
The next round of KDOT funding will include $600 million to $750 million spent statewide.