By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson City Manager Jeff Cantrell noted that the policy discussion on the proposed changes to the Woodie Seat Freeway will continue at Tuesday's Hutchinson City Council meeting, but its important to understand the challenges the governing body faces.
"That's something that we're having to wrestle with," Cantrell said. "It's very expensive. We're potentially looking at $9 to $13 million to resolve that issue. Obviously, if we did that locally, out of our own coffers, that would knock our CIP down for anywhere from six to seven years, and so the opportunity to secure this grant is something that we take seriously."
Part of what makes the city's application stronger is the use of roundabouts in the construction plan.
"Our high scoring was a result of sustainability," Cantrell said. "I've never really met anyone that says, man, I just love roundabouts, they're awesome. The truth is, roundabouts are affordable, they're sustainable. You don't have to do any signalization maintenance on them. So, that is one of the high scoring features of our application and I really sense that we would not be taken seriously if we came across with an application that petitioned for reconstruction of bridges that are antiquated."
The city has been told that they have a good chance of getting the federal money with the dual roundabout application.
"From what I understood, the last time this application went through, politics played a considerable role in it, as you might imagine," Cantrell said. "A lot of those dollars went to swing states. We recognize that and were told that."
Though local policymakers may want to find a way to compromise with those in the Bricktown neighborhood who really don't like the project as planned, in order to save all city taxpayers from having to bear the full load of the bridge replacement, they may not have a choice in the matter.