69 highway expansion delayed
U.S. Highway 69 in SEK will remain two lanes for longer than expected.
BY MARCUS CLEM | HOMETOWN GIRARD
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced April 20 a reversal in state highway plans.
Amid the last four years of Kansas public financial woes, the government insisted upon one promise with respect to state transportation: Approved and announced upgrades to state highways will not be affected.
“When I first ran for governor I promised making 69 Highway four lanes between Kansas City and Pittsburg,” Gov. Sam Brownback said during an October 2014 visit to Arma. “We are delivering on that promise.”
Now, across the state, a delay will affect many such upgrade plans, among them the long-awaited U.S. Highway 69 lane expansion from Fort Scott to Arma. The delay separately affects three project sections. The exact length of the delay is as yet undefined, but a contractor will not be awarded the bid for at least 18-24 months.
The delayed sections of highway 69 improvement are: a four-lane upgradable expressway from the crossroads with east-west Kansas Highway 47 stretching to three miles north of Arma; a four-lane upgradable expressway from that spot to the northern limit of Crawford County with Bourbon County; and the remaining six miles of road from the county line to the current end of four-lane traffic.
“Despite the delays, the overall good condition of the 10,000-mile state highway won’t be impacted,” said state Transportation Secretary Mike King in a press release.
Steve Swartz, chief of the KDOT Office of Public Affairs, said in a phone interview the delay has been caused by the state government’s decision to sweep funds out of the state highway fund.
Known to some as “The Bank of KDOT,” based on past decisions to rely on the fund as an emergency reserve for the state budget, since 2012 the highway fund suffered hundreds of millions in withdraws.
In response to a poor assessment of future state revenues on April 20, Gov. Sam Brownback proposed a redirection of $70 million in sales tax money from the state highway fund this year and $115 million next year. After this news, KDOT announced the delays including those affecting Highway 69.
“Our hope is that we can begin to let these projects out (to bidding contractors) within 18-24 months,” Swartz said.
There is a possible silver lining to this, as according to Swartz it is not legally possible to make additional withdraws from the fund. Therefore, if KDOT can meet its new timeline of bidding out the Highway 69 project, things are not likely to get worse from SEK’s perspective.
Highway 69 changes are defined in this chart released April 20 by KDOT.
Executive Director Julie Smith of the Girard Area Chamber of Commerce criticized the announcement.
“This decision is a disappointment for all of Southeast Kansas,” she said. “The highway 69 expansion would be a real economic benefit for our region. The four lane connection would be vital for future development and growth, especially for regional manufacturers. It is truly disappointing when a promise has been made, and broken.”
President Blake Benson of the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce called the news a “major disappointment.”
“To delay this now will cost not only our communities and the region, but also the entire state,” Benson said. “Obviously, it delays everything attached to the Highway 69 plans, including a four-lane link between Pittsburg and Girard. To delay not only that link, but also Crawford County’s link to the Kansas City area that would bring more students and families here … that will significantly affect our economic development.”
Asked about the future of the whole project and if it may be in jeopardy, Benson said it can’t be ruled out.
“Certainly there is a potential for that,” he said. “Anyone who watches the politics knows the state’s financial problems don’t appear to be ending anytime soon.”
Daron Hall, city manager for Pittsburg, greeted the news of the delay with a sense of resigned acceptance.
“I think this is not a surprise at all,” Hall said. “Our state’s being run poorly. One group or governing body after another is being told there’s nothing for them.
“What can I really say, after three or four years of people being told, ‘We don’t have enough money to do what we are supposed to do?’ It’s just Pittsburg’s turn now. They’re just going to keep moving money around. This was completely avoidable, but there’s nothing really for me to say about it that’s not already been said.”