HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For a third time the city of Hutchinson did not get approval for a grant to make major improvements to the Woodie Seat Freeway. The city was notified on Monday that they were not approved for the funding, leaving questions on how to make the necessary improvements to the aging infrastructure around Avenue A.
“We are disappointed that we weren't able to capture any of the grant funding at this point,” City Engineer Jeff Peterson said. “There are potentially other options.”
Peterson said that could include doing the project in phases or scale back the project somehow.
With the grant application rejected, the city now must deal with what to do to make improvements which could carry a big price tag.
“We have five bridges within about three-fourths of a mile. Some of those would either need work or need to be redone,” Peterson said. “If we could get rid of a couple of the bridges that would help out because that is probably the most expensive piece of infrastructure with respect to the link in the community.”
Along with the bridges the Woodie Seat needs new center island work, on and off ramp reconstruction and surface improvements. The grant would have helped fund a proposed roundabout project that would have removed the bridges at Avenue A and B and built roundabouts at Avenue A and Adams and at the Woodie Seat entryway from Avenue A. it would have eliminated two of the bridges which will need replacement in the near future. The proposed project was said to cost just under $10 million.
Peterson said that they will discuss the matter with the city council in the coming weeks.
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