Barton County Commission action Monday morning paved the way for pair of road projects, both aimed at improving safety for motorists. Approved was a High Risk Rural Roads project programming request for work at the intersection of North Washington Avenue and North 30 Road, and on Northwest 50 Road.

County Engineer Barry McManaman submitted an application to the Kansas Department of Transportation for HRRR funding to improve the traffic control signing at the intersection and to widen a concrete drainage box on Northwest 50 Road. KDOT announced that Barton County was approved for both improvements. 

So, the County was asked to approve a Project Programming Request in order to proceed, McManaman said. In all, 90 percent of the costs of design, construction and inspection will be paid by KDOT using federal funds, up to a maximum of $295,000.

“I think it is a good opportunity for the county,” he said. 

Now, an engineering firm will be selected to develop the plans and contract documents through KDOT will be prepared. The timing of plan development and bidding isn’t known yet.

The intersection improvements will increase driver awareness of the stop condition on North 30 Road and provide some more warning of the intersection for all motorists, he said. These might include LED-lit stop signs, overhead lighting, improved rumble strips and other high-visibility measures such as radar-operated speed signs. 

This junction has been the scene of two serious crashes last year and the topic of much discussion.

Following the fatal crash that killed 18-year-old Shealee A. Stover on April 17, 2018, a number of changes were made at the corner. Then, on June 11, Francis Haberman, 91, was seriously injured when his pickup was struck by a trash truck.

New, larger, 48-inch stop signs, larger “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” signs and larger “Stop Ahead” signs, all with ultra-high grade reflectivity, were installed. The speed limit was also amended, extending the 45 mph zone a half mile north of the corner. Prior to the change, the speed limit on Washington jumped from 45 miles per hour south of 30 Road to 55 north of it.  

The same new speed also applies to 30 Road a half mile west of the corner and from the corner east to U.S. 281.

Additional rumble strips were also added on 30 Road.

“That intersection continues to be a concern for people in this area,” Commissioner Jennifer Schartz said. So, it is good to see more funding available for improvements.

McManaman said they are open to public suggestions to make the corner safer, and noted the designers will consider “innovative” options.

At the concrete box location west of the county-owned memorial parks, 50 Road has a drop-off only two feet from the outside white line and close to the edge of the pavement. So, widening the box improves roadside safety by establishing a wider shoulder and moving the drop-offs at the ends of the box further from the driving lanes.

Of the total cost, McManaman said $75,000 would be for the intersection and $172,000 for the box. The balance would be for design and inspection.

The two projects were among those received by 16 counties for a combined total of approximately $4.5 million in funding to improve safety as part of KDOT’s HRRR program. Counties sent in applications for this program from November 2018 to the end of January, with projects selected earlier this month with the funds available in Federal Fiscal Year 2021.

Projects in this program fall into one of two categories – systemic or site-specific. Projects in the systemic category are 100 percent federally funded and aren’t required to provide a match. Site-specific projects are 90 percent federally funded, and a county contributes up to 10 percent of the project cost.