The city of Emporia will benefit from a significant highway improvement project in the city limits, and the Engineering Department is taking an active role in the Kansas Department of Transportation’s planning process for upcoming work this year.
City Engineer Jim Ubert says staffers are designing what’s called a geometric project to widen Kansas Highway 99, also known as Commercial Street, between Kansas Avenue and Soden Road. Ubert says this project will mean the south end of the highway will resemble the rest of it going north-south through Emporia.
Ubert says this will eliminate the need for traffic to stop if drivers are turning off the highway.
Once Engineering finishes the plans and submits them to KDOT, the state will then take over, including bids and the selection of both a contractor and inspector.
This schedule would have K-99 work overlap the end of the city’s Southeast Transmission waterline project, which is now about 60 percent done overall, and the Overlander Road widening project, which has several aspects near completion and others between 30-40 percent done.
