ERIN MCDANIEL
City of Newton
NEWTON, Kan. — At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Newton City Commission approved plans for the reconstruction of South Spencer Road between East First and Southeast 14th Streets.
Spencer was constructed about 25 years ago. During the construction of the First and Broadway interchanges on I-135, highway traffic through Newton was detoured onto Spencer, so the Kansas Department of Transportation provided most of the funding for Spencer’s construction. The concrete pavement has not held up well to traffic, especially at the joints where cracking and spalling are evident.
City Street staff have been patching the road constantly in recent years, and many area residents and businesses have expressed concerns about the condition of the road.
The project will be built in three phases, starting with the section from East First to Southeast Third Street this fall and the other two phases next spring. Each phase will take 6-8 weeks to complete. Traffic will remain open during construction for southbound traffic only.
Total cost of the project is estimated at about $3.6 million. The City plans to use $300,000 in federal fund exchange dollars toward the project and bond the remaining cost.
An open house is planned for 5-6:30 p.m. Aug. 20 at City Hall for affected residents and businesses to ask questions about the project and learn more.
The Commission set a bid date of 11 a.m. Sept. 17.