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Atchison accepts KDOT pedestrian grants, approves U Street bridge removal agreement and authorizes on‑call engineering contract
Summary
The commission adopted resolutions accepting KDOT Transportation Alternatives grants for Unity and North Fifth Street pedestrian improvements, authorized a KDOT-funded removal of the U Street Bridge, and approved an on-call engineering services contract to cover city engineering needs while recruitment continues.
City staff presented three related infrastructure actions and the commission approved all three.
Clinton McNamee reported that the city was awarded two KDOT Transportation Alternatives grants: one for Unity Street (sidewalks, curb ramps, pedestrian lighting and a pedestrian-activated crosswalk near St. Benedict’s) with an estimated construction cost of $1,018,099 and an approximate 20% local match (~$203,620), and one for North Fifth Street (sidewalk and crosswalk improvements) estimated at $924,359 with no local match because another ADOT division provided the local share for this cycle. Staff recommended adopting resolution 3399 to accept both awards; the commission adopted the resolution by voice vote.
On the U Street Bridge, McNamee explained KDOT’s inspection concluded the bridge is beyond feasible repair and that replacement would require a multi‑million dollar project that is not prioritized by the state. KDOT proposed to remove the bridge and modify the resulting dead-ends, covering the cost; the city would take on routine maintenance of any trail modifications after demolition. The commission adopted resolution 3400 authorizing the mayor to execute the agreement with KDOT.
Finally, with the city still recruiting a permanent city engineer, staff proposed an on-call civil engineering services contract with Benish (engineer Brad Johnson) to provide design and inspection services primarily for transportation and sidewalk projects. The contract limits the city taking significant work in excess of $25,000 to separate commission approvals. Commissioners authorized staff to execute the on-call services contract.
Taken together, the actions position the city to move forward on sidewalk and pedestrian improvements, address an unsafe bridge structure through a state-funded removal, and secure engineering capacity for near-term design and inspection work. Staff said let-outs for the KDOT-funded projects will likely result in construction during 2025–26 and that bidding will follow KDOT/TA procedures.
