Douglas County authorizes HNTB to begin NEPA assessment for Walker Vista Drive extension

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously May 13 to authorize an engineering services agreement with HNTB to complete a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)–level environmental assessment for the Walker Vista Drive extension. The contract was authorized with a not-to-exceed amount of $276,835.12.

County staff described the project as a long-planned link to improve north–south connectivity and emergency access in the southwest part of the county. Chad Voigt, speaking for Douglas County Public Works, said the chosen alignment threads between a golf course and the Wakarusa River, crosses some Corps of Engineers land and would avoid purchasing private parcels. Using Corps land, he said, avoids some real-estate acquisition costs the county would otherwise face.

Voigt told commissioners that the Corps of Engineers has directed the county to complete an environmental assessment at the federal NEPA level, an unusual requirement for local projects. The assessment will cover wetlands, cultural resources and threatened-and-endangered species documentation, and the Corps will lead publication and two 30-day public-comment periods. Voigt said his department had selected HNTB — the firm that previously worked on the South Lawrence Trafficway — to perform the scope because of its prior experience with the NEPA process in the area.

Public commenters urged extensive review and stronger tribal consultation. Several speakers, including tribal-affiliated residents and local environmental stewards, said the Wakarusa River valley and nearby wetlands have cultural and ecological importance tied to Haskell Indian Nations University and tribal histories and asked the county and Corps to take those concerns seriously.

Costs and schedule were a focus of the board’s discussion. Voigt said the county has roughly $10.8 million in the capital-improvement fund allocated toward the project and that the HNTB fee would consume a portion of the county’s engineering budget. He also said that if the county did not build an acceptable local match road, it would be obligated to pay KDOT roughly $9 million as the cash equivalent of the local match. Voigt described a best-case schedule that aims for completed environmental work this winter and a potential opening of the road by the end of 2028, while acknowledging delays are possible.

Commissioners pressed staff on alignment alternatives, wetland determinations and whether the county would maintain the road. Voigt said the proposed facility would be a county route maintained by Douglas County Public Works and that the chosen alignment minimizes wetland impacts and private-property acquisition. He said the Corps will be the lead agency for NEPA and will decide the tribes, technical studies and public-notice schedule.

The vote authorizing the HNTB agreement passed unanimously. Staff said the Corps will publish the environmental assessment and formal comment periods, and the county will return to the commission with findings and a request for next-phase design authorization if the Corps provides clearance.