The reconstruction of a dangerous intersection at Redwing moved closer to completion after action by the Barton County Commission Monday morning. Approved was a bid from L&M Construction of Great Bend of $294,531.90 for the improvement project east of Hoisington.

Bids were opened last week for the work. Of the three bids, the lowest was submitted by L & M, said County Engineer Barry McManaman. 

“It’s going to be a nice improvement,” McManaman said. It has been the scene of one serious accident three years ago and other smaller ones over the years, and has been on the commission’s radar for about 15 years.

On Feb. 10, 2020, the commission encumbered $275,660 from the Kansas Department of Transportation based on the estimated construction cost at that time, McManaman said. Under the cost-share agreement, KDOT will reimburse the County for 75% of the actual construction cost up to $206,745 after the work is done. 

Now, the county will need to encumber an additional $18,871.90 since the cost was higher than the original estimate. The county will still over have to pay for 25%.  

The project involves an intersection of NE 60 Avenue and K-4 on the east edge of Redwing. It will improve the safety of the intersection through the installation of a new box culvert about 60 feet farther north from the highway, and building wider radius at the intersection to allow for better turning, which has been the cause of most of the crashes at the corner.

It was in December 2017 that Aubrey Alcorn of Claflin was seriously injured in a crash at this location. The commissioners asked that the project be unofficially named in her honor.

The commission also recognized McManaman for his work on this effort.