With a growing list of major infrastructure projects, the city of Emporia has been reaching out to gain community input on the work ahead.
Tuesday evening, the city hosted a public meeting regarding one of the biggest upcoming projects, the expansive 24th and Prairie waterline improvement project. City Engineer Jim Ubert tells KVOE News that much of the input received Tuesday as well as other conversations with residents has been, for the most part, positive saying residents have been highly inquisitive and rarely critical.
Another public meeting is scheduled for May 29 at 6 pm inside of White Auditorium for the planned work on East 10th and East 11th between Mechanic and Union and Mechanic and Market respectively.
Tuesday’s public meeting came just a day before Emporia City Commissioners approved a pair of infrastructure projects through the Kansas Department of Transportation. The first was for planned street and underground improvements on Overlander Road between US Highway 50 and West Sixth Avenue.
Ubert says this project was “leveraged” off a planned expansion by Michelin in the area.
Commissioners would also approve the annual KDOT CCLIP project for geometric improvements on Commercial Street between Soden’s Grove Bridge and Kansas Avenue. Both projects are still in the design phase and likely won’t begin physical work until next year, however, they will still likely overlap with yet another major project, the replacement of the Interstate 35 bridge on Lincoln Street.
Closure of the bridge is set for the last week of May with the closure continuing through at least summer 2025. When asked if having so many major projects, which will undoubtedly lead to changes for local motorists, was done by design, Ubert stated it was not entirely intentional, nor how the city would typically proceed.
However; he says not moving forward as they have would have resulted in the city losing significant funding for these improvement projects which have been needed for some time.
If you have questions or concerns and would like more information on the various upcoming projects, contact the city engineering department by calling 620-343-4260.
Ubert will be discussing many of these projects when he joins KVOE’s Newsmaker at 7:20 am Friday.
