As progress continues Peter Pan Road improvements north of Main Street, City Manager Craig Whitehead reports significant milestones have been achieved.
Paving on the current phase of the project is complete, and the additional work of grading, sodding and providing a temporary gravel transition from new concrete to the original asphalt are expected to be completed within the next two weeks, weather permitting, Whitehead said. Once these steps are finalized, he explained, the new pavement will be temporarily striped for the remaining winter season and the road is anticipated to be reopened to through traffic by March 15. Fair weather is required for permanent striping of the roadway, so that process will be delayed until spring, he noted.
The completion of this phase of the project makes way for additional construction “down the road,” thanks to a $300,000 economic development grant provided through the State of Kansas, which will extend the improvements an additional 900 feet (.17 miles) to the north. Whitehead said the bidding process for the next phase is expected to get underway in mid- to late summer, with construction to begin in late summer or early fall and completion by January 2019.
“This timeframe is based on what I would call the ‘worst-case scenario’ in terms of the amount of time required for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to review the plan and give us the green light,” Whitehead said. “The project could be accelerated if the KDOT review moves more quickly.
“We greatly appreciate the patience and cooperation of our citizens and area business owners who have been impacted by the Peter Pan project and detour,” Whitehead said. “The trade-off for these months of inconvenience will be an overall much safer stretch of a highly traveled roadway and improved access to those homes and businesses.”