By now, most Great Bend motorists have probably gotten used to the labyrinth of orange cones, signs and illuminated warnings along the stretch of 10th Street near Grant.

Now, the lanes drivers may use will change yet again as phase III of the 10th and Grant project gets underway, Great Bend Public Works Director Simon Wiley said. Weather permitting, this will start Tuesday, July 9,. 

During this phase of construction, the center lanes will be reconstructed with traffic shifted to the outside lanes (it is funneled to the inside lanes now). All left turns will be prohibited in the project area. 

“The City of Great Bend appreciates the patience of motorists and residents while this work is being performed,” Wiley said.

The project started in March. Weather and other factors permitting, it was set to be an 85-working-day project, meaning it would be done by mid July.

However, there was an elevation issue involving the streets discovered, he said. This required a change that needed Kansas Department of Transportation approval.

Now, the improvements will likely be done in September. 

The 10th and Grant work is a Kansas Department of Transportation project. Last November, the council authorized KDOT to award the bid to the low bidder, Morgan Brothers Construction Inc. of LaCrosse, for $688,473.

It is funded through a KDOT Geometric Improvement Grant which requires 10 percent city matching funds. The city is committed to matching funds up to $214,000.

Key to this effort was the construction of the new stretch of Eighth Street between Grant and McKinley, which opened for traffic on Jan. 22. This was important to the 10th and Grant endeavor since the new Eighth Street will act as a safety valve to help ease traffic pressure.

Eighth Street, however, was a city project that will eventually be paid for by property owners in the area,

Contact Wiley at 620-793-4150 with questions.