ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
As 2024 draws to a close, progress continues on road projects in Seward County.
C.W. Harper of Kirkham Michael & Associates, the firm the county hired to help with those projects, updated commissioners on some of the work being done at the commission’s Dec. 16 meeting.
Much of Harper’s presentation centered on what has been an ongoing project for some time in the county, and that is the Masoni Bridge.
Harper said at this time, Kirkham Michael is working to get approval from railroad leaders to get an access grant to get geotech workers onsite.
“It sounds like the railroad’s wanting us to have a flagger there,” he said. “We’re pushing back a little bit. We’re 60 to 80 feet off of the railroad, but if they say we have to have a flagger, we have to play by their rules.”
Harper said the flagger would be in place for the train more than the onsite workers.
“If we’re close to the tracks, he’ll radio the train and tell them they need to hold up or let us know there’s a train coming and we need to get out of there,” he said. “He’s there to coordinate with the railroad to make sure we’re out of the way so they can maintain uninterrupted operations.”
Harper said plans for the bridge are complete except for geotech and fencing.
“The railroad wants to have fencing from right of way to right of way,” he said. “We’re not sure how exactly that’s going to work off the ends of the bridge because the bridge doesn’t go clear out to the right of way. With the guard rail, we’d have to come off of the bridge and go down and out to the right of way.”
Harper said Kirkham Michael is working to get an exception for this.
“Once again, it’s the railroad,” he said. “At the end of the day, we have to play by their rules. We’ve got an exception from BNSF for a similar project.”
Harper said box extension plans are on hold for now, but with the county recently receiving a High Risk Rural Roads contract from the Kansas Department of Transportation, those plans could soon be sent to KDOT, and that part of the project should start moving.
“Now that we have the HRRR contract in place, with the (hot mix asphalt) project, we’re still waiting on proof the bond has been filed with the clerk from that contractor,” he said.
That contractor is J&R Sand, and Harper said the company has to file a performance bond with District Court Clerk Donna Odneal and provide a receipt before the contract can be fully executed.
Harper then visited another road project in the county at Road 17 and Road R, where he said a pipe would need to be replaced before overlay work can begin.
“It’s sticking up on one end, not even down on the ground, and there’s a pretty good bump right there,” he said. “The best thing to do would be work with the contractor, and we need to get a pipe on hand so we can get it replaced when it needs to be. Wait for them to start and remove the pipe, and they can put in patching. As part of the HMA contract, we have patching material.”
