By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The City of Hutchinson doesn't yet know if its application for a roundabout project to replace bridges on the Woodie Seat Freeway is going to be allowed.
"We're waiting on that," said City Manager Jeff Cantrell. "I'm expecting to get that any day now. It's something that, we're excited to hear the results on it. We haven't heard any bad news, but at the same time, we haven't heard anything officially affirming it."
The City Council will have to approve acceptance of the grant award.
"There would then be design phases associated with that project," Cantrell said. "If approved, that's where I see most of the interface occurring with the community would be the design phase. It's frustrating, because people want to know, what's it going to look like? We don't yet know. We know we have some possibilities for design that will be beneficial to the neighborhood."
One real concern is getting pedestrians across if roundabouts are used.
"If a person has to walk an additional three or four hundred feet to get to a safer location to cross, that will be one of the factors that we will have to work through also, on the pedestrian aspect of that. That will be an exciting piece of that project, if awarded."
That project has received some negative pushback within the immediate neighborhood. In fact, that was the main issue that prompted Brock Wells to run for City Council. He ultimately lost the race for the SW District seat to Greg Fast.