Additional information from Reno County Public Works Director Don Brittain has been added to this story.
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Board of County Commissioners approved the agreement that lets them know which sections of road are now theirs because KDOT built the new K-14 at their meeting on Tuesday.
KDOT is transferring segments of old K-14 along with new alignments of Dean Road, West 95th Avenue, Old K-14 from Dean Road to the eastern Nickerson city limit, Old K-14 from the western Nickerson city limit to the Reno and Rice County line, new box bridge Br. No. 17-78-33.82 and various drainage structures on 56th, Dean Road, 82nd, 95th, Nickerson Road and Riverton Road.
In exchange for taking these sections of road over going forward, KDOT will pay the county $400,000. That money is due to the county within 30 days of the transfer date.
"I told them that we couldn't maintain our current standard without additional equipment," said Reno County Public Works Director Don Brittain. "That $400,000 was for a truck, plow, spreader, tractor and a 15 foot mower. I don't believe that's ever been done before. It took me two years of negotiating this. That's what that money is for. KDOT doesn't determine how we spend that money. That's your final decision, but that's what I negotiated that money for."
The bridge being inherited by the county is one over the Arkansas River.
"We will inherit all that," Brittain said. "Approximately around 11 miles. It would have been about 12, but there's a mile of the current road between Yaggy and Dean Road that they are going to tear up, KDOT is, so we won't inherit that. That's another burden on us. Since I've been here, the state, we've inherited around 31 miles since I've been here, of additional highway."
The new K-14 alignment is due to open Wednesday.
Also, Brittain told Hutch Post in an email Tuesday that the money is in addition to KDOT performing repair work necessary to restore the road to meet local or state condition. In the case of the turnback miles that means a mill and overlay on all the roadway the county is to receive and structures will be repaired and the Arkansas River Bridge west of Nickerson will have a new east approach installed and a polymer overlay installed on the bridge deck.
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