While road resurfacing work continues on one of Emporia’s major highways, upcoming projects on highways in the city limits will get significant funding from the state.
Earlier this week, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced funding for fiscal 2025 and 2026, courtesy of the City Connecting Link Improvement Program — also called CCLIP. For fiscal ’25, Emporia is getting $400,000 for surface preservation to help a mill and overlay project involving Kansas Highway 99, or Commercial Street, from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks south to Kansas Avenue. This also involves Merchant from 12th north to Interstate 35.
The fiscal ’26 project has secured $1.2 million from the state for a range of geometric improvements, continuing the street renovations on Commercial from Kansas Avenue south to Soden’s Grove. Mill-and-overlay, storm sewer, sidewalks, reconstructed shoulders and the installation of a two-way center turn lane are all part of the project.
On KVOE’s Morning Show on Friday, City Engineer Jim Ubert said he appreciates KDOT’s willingness to fund these projects.
Funding for the next two years’ worth of projects comes as the city is in the middle of this year’s CCLIP project — resurfacing East Highway 50 between Mechanic and the east city limits. The project has involved a pilot car and flaggers between the city limits and Corinth because of the two-lane traffic and the need for “full-depth” highway repairs, meaning delays for drivers on the highway and congestion nearby as drivers try to find alternate routes to get around the construction.
