After months of delays caused by the discovery of AT&T utility lines, the Kansas Expressway extension build is back on track, and Weaver Road is set to reopen on Sept. 6.
Greene County Highway Department chief engineer Mark Webb said that all of the utility lines that delayed construction in February were cleared out of the way at the end of August, allowing the contractor to resume work on what will be the Kansas Expressway and Weaver Road intersection.
However, the delays have pushed back the completion of the first phase of the two-phase Kansas Expressway extension project. Previously, Phase 1 was to be completed on Nov. 1, but Webb said they are now looking towards the end of December.
Once completed, the entire extension project will bring Kansas Expressway farther south as a two-lane road, with additional turn lanes at major intersections and room for future expansion, a bicycle and pedestrian pathway and stormwater drainage improvements.
Webb said that stormwater runoff has been a continued concern among nearby residents, but that it should be resolved with the completion of the project.
Kansas Expressway extension nears halfway point
With utilities out of the way and the base rock down between Republic Road and Weaver Road, asphalt, curbs and a 10-foot wide sidewalk will follow. However, base rock is still needed between Weaver and Plainview Road, which roughly marks the halfway point of the project and the end of Phase 1.
The contract for Phase 1 of the Kansas Expressway extension was awarded at $15.7 million. The entire project is being funded by Greene County, the City of Springfield and federal transportation funds.
On the heels of the reopening of Weaver Road, Plainview Road is set to be closed on Sept. 11. The closure will last for approximately 45 days, due to similar work that needs to be done at that intersection. However, Webb emphasized that it would only be for a short duration, unlike the months-long Weaver closure.
Greene County Highway Department interim administrator Adam Humphrey said Springfield Public Schools and emergency responders have been notified of the upcoming closure, and that Weaver would become the primary east-west detour route.
Webb emphasized multiple factors contributed to the delay initially caused by the discovery of utilities, adding that AT&T acted immediately, but that utility relocation was a slow process. He said that between AT&T’s contractors and the time it cost the county’s contractors, “It just took a lot longer than any of us anticipated.”
Webb said AT&T utility lines should not conflict or cause a delay with the work being done around Plainview.
“We reached out to AT&T again — we had some initial correspondence from them from when the project was first bid and [they] said, ‘Yeah, our utilities are cleared from the corridor,’” Webb said. “Well, that wasn't exactly correct, as we discovered, so we reached out to them one more time, and they've confirmed that Plainview Road has been checked and we feel like it's in a good position.”
Following the completion of Phase 1, drivers will be able to take Kansas Expressway from Republic Road to Plainview.
County hopes to bid out Phase 2 by 2024
Webb said Greene County will have Phase 2 out for bid sometime this fall, in hopes to have the project under contract by the end of the year. It will extend Kansas Expressway south from Plainview Road, turn west just north of the James River and end at Farm Road 190, known farther north as Cox Avenue.
While Webb said it is still unclear how much Phase 2 is expected to cost, he anticipates it to be similar to Phase 1.
“I think there was some anticipation that this first phase would be perhaps a little bit more expensive with the bridges that were there, but then the second phase has some complexities of its own,” Webb said.
If the contracting for Phase 2 follows a similar pathway as Phase 1, construction should begin shortly after a contractor is awarded the project. Additionally, Webb anticipates a similar timeline for Phase 2 as initially projected for Phase 1 — about 18 months — setting up for a mid-2025 completion of the Kansas Expressway extension project.
Webb said his office is looking ahead to Phase 2 to identify any possible utility conflicts that may arise and to get them resolved prior to construction. However, he said that the amount of utilities should thin out as the work zones move farther south.
