Emporia’s annual street rehab project is underway.
The project began Monday with concrete work on 18th Avenue, according to City Engineer Jim Ubert. The 2025 project list includes nine street segments:
West Ridge Court: West Ridge Drive to Timmerman Drive
18th Avenue: Industrial Road to Prairie Creek Road
Trail Ridge Road: Tomahawk Road to 15th Avenue
8th Avenue: Walnut Street to West Street
E. Wilman Court: Rural Street to 18th Avenue
Cottonwood Street: 2nd Avenue to railroad and South Avenue to 1st Avenue
Sylvan Street: South Avenue to railroad
Walnut Street: 12th Avenue to 15th Avenue
Grand Street: 9th Avenue to 12th Avenue
Add Alternate: Soden Road: Commercial Street to Zoo Education Center
Ubert says all of the roadways included in the list are in the “sweet spot” of maintenance needs.
The start of the project will focus on concrete curb and gutter updates, sidewalks and ramps before moving onto to asphalt overlay on all streets. The 2025 project will cost just over $1 million and is funded through the city’s share of the county-wide one-cent sales tax.
While the price tag might seem large for a limited number of street repairs, Ubert says it is a great reinvestment in city infrastructure that does not overstretch taxpayer dollars, adding that if they were to try and update all city streets in one go, it would cost “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
If all goes according to plan, Ubert says the project could be wrapped up by early to mid-September. As the street rehab project gets started, another project is nearing the end.
For several weeks now, crews have been working on a new sidewalk and hike & bike path stretching from the north side of 12th Avenue to Burlingame Road and then north to Riley Boulevard. Ubert says this is just one phase of the project and is between 90 to 95 percent complete.
The second phase of the project, which encompasses Prairie Street to Lincoln, is also at the 90 to 95 percent completion mark and Ubert says both segments are already being put to use.
Ubert adds the new path will serve as the first of several new additions over the course of the next year.
Ubert says the project could be completed by early July if not sooner.
