TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Transportation said this morning it’s working on plans to expand eight miles of K-68 in Miami County to four lanes. KDOT plans to make K-68 between U.S. 169 near Paola and U.S. 69 at Louisburg a four-lane expressway, with construction scheduled between March 2018 and September 2019. Some improvements include work to key intersections and new frontage roads, KDOT said. Ten million dollars has been earmarked from the state’s T-Works transportation for the project. However, KDOT said that’s not enough to expand all eight miles of the road. KDOT said it will meet with local government and business officials to set priorities for the project. The project is currently in the first phase of a four-phase project development process. During Phase 1, the design team will examine those things that would affect the proposed improvements and costs, KDOT said. Phase 2, the field check phase, is anticipated to begin next year and involves developing preliminary plans for both the more immediate improvements and the long-term, four-lane expressway. Final design plans will be developed in Phase 3 and the more immediate improvements will be built in Phase 4. The state agency said it coordinate with the K-68 Corridor Management Committee, which consists of representatives from both Miami and Franklin counties and Ottawa, Paola and Louisburg. KDOT will also conduct individual and small group meetings, as well as open houses, with the public and officials to learn more about the impacts of potential improvements. Visit the t-works web page at www.ksdot.org/t-works.
Wednesday, May 2, noon
