Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Butler County approves several road and bridge items: roundabout contract, right-of-way and KDOT bridge grant; bids and survey plans discussed
Summary
County public works staff reported favorable bids for the Ohio Street/SW 20th roundabout, the commission approved multiple motions including right-of-way purchase for NW Tenth Bridge and a KDOT off-system bridge grant for Walnut River, and staff outlined a strategy to pursue the federal Bridge Investment Program with design and survey work.
Butler County public works officials briefed the Board of County Commissioners on multiple road and bridge items and the commission approved several motions related to construction, right-of-way and grant paperwork.
Curtis Mader, director of public works, said bids for the Ohio Street/Southwest 20th roundabout came in “favorable compared to the engineer's estimate” and that the low bid reported earlier in the discussion was from Allen's Excavating at roughly $3,045,000. During the meeting a motion was made and approved 4-0 to award a contract to Adams Excavating Incorporated; the motion recorded the award amount in the transcript as $30,000,455,373.68 and passed on a 4-0 vote.
Mader also recommended rejecting the asphalt surface treatment bids and rebidding the project in spring 2026 so the City of Andover could participate. The commission disapproved the bid from Vance Brothers in the amount of $232,357.65 and directed staff to rebid in the spring.
On bridges, commissioners approved a right-of-way purchase for the Northwest Tenth Street bridge project after staff said final design and right-of-way work are complete for that CIP project. The motion to purchase the described right of way passed 4-0.
The board also approved submittal and signature of a KDOT project programming request form for an off-system bridge program award for the Walnut River bridge. Mader said the project carries a roughly $2,000,000 KDOT grant with an estimated total project cost of about $2,600,000 and that there is no county construction cost share required; commissioners approved the KDOT form and signed it on the record.
Mader described the federal Bridge Investment Program as an opportunity to fund multiple larger structures and said Butler County is coordinating with “Cali County” so each county can pursue design capacity in the program. He told commissioners he plans to pre-design and survey a prioritized list of bridges to increase “readiness” scores on federal applications. He estimated preliminary survey work at about $5,000 per bridge for the projects the county will commit to and said consultants Kirk and Michael will lead the readiness work; he also said the program’s requirements would require shovel-ready projects in roughly 18 months if awarded.
During project updates, staff said the Haverhill bridge project remains in active construction with rebar and decking preparations underway, and that other local structures are being monitored for plates and load posting. Road maintenance notes included timeline estimates for a leveling course and a planned overlay next year on a resurfacing project and replacement of a culvert and box end sections purchased for installation this season.
County staff also acknowledged employee concerns about security cameras that were installed in a north shop break room; the cameras had been added to deter repeated tool thefts, the director said, and staff were asked to work with human resources on any privacy concerns.
No staff advised schedule changes to the county capital improvement program beyond those motions. Commissioners and staff discussed routing haul traffic to state highways where feasible to reduce wear on country roads during the roundabout construction and traffic-control plans for detours while work proceeds.
