The Garden City Telegram
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Opinions vary on possible highway improvements
Published 8/26/2009 in Local News
By STEPHANIE FARLEY
Finney County farmers Carol and Mike Deaver stood Tuesday night, looking at aerial maps of the three alternatives the Kansas Department of Transportation is asking the public to consider for improvements to U.S. Highway 83 from Sublette to Scott City.
As they viewed the first alternative, the Deavers found it would significantly impact their farm ground if the highway were four-laned to miss Plymell Elementary School and Plymell Union Church. The Deavers and other members of the public had the opportunity Tuesday to look at the alternatives coming out of an ongoing study of the U.S. 83 corridor.
KDOT meets today in Scott City with public officials and community residents on the alternatives, which include possible locations of passing lanes, as well as options for right of way purchase for future four lanes and where the highway would be constructed — either offset or on top of the existing highway.
The improvements in the first alternative, the Deavers said, would come close to cutting their irrigated circles about in half after offsetting the highway to improve pavement condition and long-range planning to four-lane the section of highway. Nearly halving the circles, Carol Deaver said, would take away much of the efficiency the couple has created in their irrigated farming operation. The option also would impact their neighbors' crop circles.
The Deavers said they'd like to have the safest road possible with the least amount of impact, adding they realize there will be some impact — whether on their or their neighbors' property — regardless of what KDOT decides to do.
The second and third alternatives wouldn't impact the Deavers' circles as much, with one proposal including future plans to construct a second set of lanes to the east to four-lane the highway and purchasing of right of way. Option three involves constructing a new road on the existing one and not offsetting the highway.
Both options save more of the Deavers' crop circles, but in return, infringe more on David Brakey's home and yard.
While Brakey said he may prefer the alternatives that lessen the impact to his home, he also feels there's no right or wrong proposal. Whatever option KDOT chooses will impact someone, he said.
"If it's a concern, it's valid," he said on the different options.
The road needs to be rebuilt, said Rev. James Carlson, of Plymell Union Church.
"That's your starting point," he said.
Carlson said part of the highway improvement consideration is whether the overall good of the project overrides the harm done to a few.
Aside from keeping an eye on his property and the proposed alternatives near his home, Brakey also is trying to look out for the area around him.
"There are more people in the community than just me," Brakey said.
Mike Deaver said he'd like to see KDOT four-lane the area when traffic demands it along the stretch. Until then, the state should simply maintain the road it has, he said.
Tuesday's discussion, as well as the unveiling of the alternatives on Monday in Sublette and today in Scott City, is the result of the corridor study that started in 2007 with KDOT going to the three communities to get their input on the corridor and what improvements and issues they felt KDOT should focus on — $400,000 was originally set aside for the study.
KDOT also looked at traffic projections, as well as engineering data, along the corridor and put proposals together based on the information.
This series of meetings is the first time the general public has seen the alternatives.
KDOT public affairs manager Kirk Hutchinson, KDOT road designer Kris Norton and other staff walked around with members of the public Tuesday, looking at the options. KDOT staff have said the public shouldn't look at the alternatives as either/or and that multiple options could be used for the highway.
Hutchinson said the idea is for KDOT and the public to find some agreement on which improvements and where they'd like to see them.
Norton said both KDOT and the public understand U.S. 83 needs to be improved with passing lanes for safety, and pavement replaced. He said there are different ways to get to the goal of a safer, better road, "but I think we all have the same goal."
Norton told public officials Tuesday afternoon KDOT knows that at some point, passing lanes in both the rural and urban areas will be inadequate and four-laned highway will be needed.
A four-lane upgradable expressway or freeway is justified and should be considered for the U.S. 83 bypass in Garden City, according to KDOT, but more than likely urban and rural pavement conditions will be the driving force behind prioritizing instead of traffic volumes.
Cost estimates given Tuesday include $66.4 million for offsetting the highway and including passing lanes; alternative two, $60.7 million for offsetting the two-lane highway; and $47 million for constructing new, two-lane road on the existing highway. Figures are in 2010 dollars and only include rural construction costs.
KDOT estimates a set of two-mile passing lanes will cost $1.8 million to build.
Norton said the poorest pavement condition along the stretch generally runs from the Haskell/Finney County line to north of Pete Smith Road and ends just south of Annie Scheer Road in Finney County. The second worst is south from the Haskell/Finney County line to the U.S. Highway 160 junction. Third is from Annie Scheer Road north to Business 83.
KDOT will consider comments heard at the meetings and prepare a series of proposed projects for review later this fall.
The final report on the U.S. 83 corridor should be released in spring 2010 and include several prioritized projects along the stretch.
The only funding available is to complete the study. The stretch of U.S. 83 from Sublette to Scott City is part of eight projects KDOT is studying and working on, partly for the next transportation program.
The other seven areas are I-435 from I-35 to K-10; I-70 and K-7 interchange; K-27 in Wallace County; U.S. 69 from south of Pittsburg to I-44, including the U.S. 400 connection; I-135/KTA/47th St. interchange; K-96 from southeast of Nickerson to north of Sterling; and the Gardner interchange at I-35.
On the Web:
Kansas Department of Transportation: http://www.ksdot.org/
What do you think of KDOT's plans for U.S. Highway 83? Talk about it at SWKTalk.com.
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