Council approves $36 million Bleckley Drive drainage project to reduce life‑safety flooding

The Wichita City Council on Feb. 25 voted to approve revised project funding and an amending resolution to advance the Bleckley Drive drainage improvements, a roughly $36,000,000 multi‑year project funded from the stormwater utility fund.

The project targets the south end of Bleckley Drive near Kellogg and Elm, where staff said even small rain events can produce curb‑to‑curb flows, fast velocity and vehicle wash‑outs. Gary Janssen, Public Works and Utilities director, told the council the basin sits in a natural valley, has a history of hazardous flooding and that the proposed improvements aim primarily to reduce depth and velocity of floodwaters to mitigate life‑safety risk. “When you get typically six inches of water, we get to the bottom of most cars,” Janssen said, and at greater depths vehicles can be carried away.

Council staff and public works presented modeling showing a substantial reduction in inundation at Robinson and other locations after the proposed improvements. Janssen said construction will proceed in phases because the work requires major underground culverts, water and sewer relocations and coordination with AT&T and fiber‑optic conduit owners; initial construction work is slated to begin within three to four months if the funding is approved. He estimated construction could extend into 2028 under a single‑contract approach and said the city hopes to accelerate phasing and use multiple contractors where feasible.

The council approved the resolution on a 6‑0 vote. The motion, moved by the mayor and seconded by a councilmember, authorized signatures to adopt the revised budget and proceed with the first phase of construction. The project budget is split over three fiscal years from stormwater utility fund revenue that grew after a 2017 stormwater rate increase, staff said. Janssen said the team used 14 years of basin rainfall data and focused the design on the largest recent events to balance cost and benefit; an initial $100 million scope was pared back to the current estimate.

Councilmembers asked about prioritization of other flood‑prone areas; Janssen said Bleckley rose to the top because of the combination of water depth and velocity that produced frequent barricading and life‑safety incidents in smaller storms. He said staff will present a broader decision‑support tool to the council later to prioritize future drainage investments across the city.

Construction constraints cited by staff include relocation of water and sewer lines, major culvert work, and coordination with telecommunications providers whose duct banks serve East Wichita.

The council timed the vote after staff closed public comment and moved to the bench; no members of the public spoke on the item during the meeting. The City Clerk recorded the motion and the roll call confirmed six affirmative votes and no dissent. Work will proceed under the approved funding plan and the city will return to council with standard contract and construction approvals as phases are ready.

While staff provided modeling and safety rationale, they did not present a final construction schedule or name primary contractors; those details will be returned to council in later contract actions.

The project is funded from the stormwater utility fund and not the general fund; staff noted the stormwater utility was built up after the 2017 rate change to support large drainage projects.