Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Roads Bridges topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
McPherson County adopts compression-brake ban, designates Thirteenth Avenue minimum-maintenance and accepts KDOT bridge grant
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution banning vehicle compression brakes at the CR 319/CR 448 intersection, designated Thirteenth Avenue in New Gotland Township as a minimum-maintenance road, authorized an engineering agreement for culvert design, and accepted a KDOT local-bridge grant to proceed with consultant-led design and permitting.
The McPherson County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 16 adopted a package of road and bridge measures, including a prohibition on motor-vehicle compression brakes at a county intersection, a minimum-maintenance declaration for a township road, a $16,000 engineering agreement for culvert designs, and acceptance of a Kansas Department of Transportation local bridge grant.
The board unanimously approved McPherson County Resolution No. 2024-11, which prohibits the use of compression (engine) brakes at the intersection of County Road 319 (Seventeenth Avenue) and County Road 448 (Pawnee Road) except in emergencies and where the vehicle’s muffler system is functional. The resolution cites KSA 8-17-61 and KSA 8-17-39 as the statutory basis for restricting such braking. Commissioners asked staff to notify the sheriff’s office and county solid-waste staff so the restriction can be enforced and signposted.
Tom Kramer, the county’s public works director, also presented a resolution declaring Thirteenth Avenue (between Pioneer Road and Pueblo Road) in New Gotland Township a minimum-maintenance road and establishing the public-hearing and posting process required by state law. No members of the public spoke at the posted hearing; the board adopted Resolution 2024-12 as published.
Kramer introduced an engineering agreement with Kirk & Michael of Ellsworth to design four concrete box culverts to be installed by county forces. He said the consultant estimated a total engineering and survey cost of $16,000 (about $4,000 per box) and recommended contracting because the county lacks an in-house surveyor and engineer. The board approved the agreement, not to exceed $16,000.
Kramer told commissioners McPherson County had been awarded a KDOT Local Bridge Improvement Program grant for structure No. 075010 on Arapahoe Road (about a quarter mile west of Eighth Avenue). He described the program split as roughly 85% state funding and 15% local match for construction; county staff said the grant paperwork from the state might revise the preliminary dollar figures, which Kramer discussed as an approximate $950,000 figure pending final state confirmation. The board authorized acceptance of the grant and instructed staff to proceed with hiring a consultant to produce the detailed cost analysis, permitting and agreements required by KDOT. Kramer said the KDOT agreement and required work must be completed within 24 months.
The measures carried by voice votes. No amendments were made to the bridge grant acceptance; the culvert engineering agreement was approved with a not-to-exceed cap. The board also discussed logistics such as posting signs for the minimum-maintenance road and notifying county departments for enforcement and implementation.
The next procedural steps are posting and publishing the minimum-maintenance designation, notifying law enforcement and solid-waste staff about the compression-brake restriction, and returning to the board when the consultant’s detailed bridge design and cost estimate are ready for contract approval.
