Chase County to pursue federal RTA pilot funding to study Middle Creek and Seaboard roads

Chase County road-and-bridge staff told commissioners on Jan. 31 they plan to pursue a Department of Commerce Rural Transportation Assistance (RTA) pilot grant to fund preliminary studies and project planning for Middle Creek Road and Seaboard Road, citing new quarry traffic, multiple weight‑restricted bridges and limited local funding.

Road-and-bridge staff said the RTA pilot would cover preliminary engineering, cost‑benefit analysis, public engagement and legal and financial services needed to make a competitive DOT grant application. The program opens a portal March 4, staff said, will award 36‑month grants of roughly $200,000 to $750,000, is 100% funded and requires no local match; the broader program described at the meeting totals about $27 million with roughly $10 million earmarked for rural projects.

In the presentation, staff identified Middle Creek and Seaboard as “major collectors” with an unusual concentration of bridges — seven bridges on the corridor as described at the meeting — and multiple spans that carry legal weight restrictions (examples cited: an 18‑ton span and other bridges rated at 37 tons). Staff said the roads are seeing higher daily truck volumes after several recently opened quarries and that routine chip‑seal surfacing will not hold up under sustained heavy truck traffic. The county’s manager of road and bridge said the likely near‑term strategy might include restoring the surface to well‑maintained gravel while focusing grant funds first on bridges, because hard‑surfacing is of limited use if bridges cannot carry the loads.

Staff said the county lacks in‑house capacity (no dedicated staff engineer or transportation economist) to prepare large DOT grant applications, and that RTA funding could pay for that capacity. They reported contacts with the Kansas Infrastructure Hub and with a Kansas Department of Transportation official who offered free technical review of narratives and said the county appears to be one of few jurisdictions in the state preparing applications for the RTA pot.

Commissioners asked for a concise bridge report (ratings and immediate issues) for the Middle Creek/Seaboard route and discussed use of the county’s multiyear capital improvement fund for any local match or follow‑on work. Road staff asked commissioners to note in the minutes that staff is pursuing the RTA opportunity and commissioners indicated consensus to proceed; staff said they would continue planning and return with more cost estimates and bridge condition details.

If federal or state bridge grants fall short, staff recommended prioritizing replacement or repair of bridges and culverts before full hard‑surfacing, because a gravel roadway with safe bridges would be an improvement over the current configuration.

Staff and commissioners also discussed enforcement challenges for weight‑restricted bridges, noting the county has no weigh scales on the route and limited authority to stop or weigh vehicles in the field. Staff and the sheriff’s office discussed options for signage, outreach and coordination with truck inspectors and neighboring counties to reduce through‑traffic on weight‑restricted spans.

The presentation closed with an operational request that the RTA application work proceed and a verbal consensus from commissioners that staff should move forward and pursue consultant help to prepare an application and the preliminary work the RTA would fund.