OTTAWA — The new four-lane U.S. 59 expressway is open to the Douglas County line.
Contractors took down the barricades and traffic started using the road shortly before noon Tuesday. The new highway will be a major improvement in safety, said Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce president Tom Weigand. It’s been 15 years in the making, he said. The new highway will be an economic development positive for the county and Ottawa, he said. However, Weigand said his one concern is the economic impact on downtown Ottawa and he and others will be closely watching that. As it leaves Franklin County, the new highway will use a temporary crossover to connect to the existing two-lane roadway in Douglas County, said KDOT’s Priscilla Peterson. The Douglas County segment is scheduled to be completed sometime next year, she said. Work will begin at a point three miles north of Ottawa to connect the new expressway to what is now the old 59. The old 59 north of Ottawa will be restricted to local traffic for two months while the connection is being built, she said. The overall cost of the entire highway is estimated at slightly more than $240 million.
Wednesday, March 31, 6:30 a.m.
