ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
A local highway construction company recently received a state award, with the help of the state’s transportation agency.
Every year, the Kansas Asphalt Pavement Association (KAPA) awards each district within the Kansas Department of Transportation a first and second place winner for the outstanding engineering to achieving quality hot mix asphalt (HMA).
This year, KDOT’s Liberal Construction and J&R Constructors Group were selected for first place in KDOT’s Southwest District for achieving high quality HMA.
J&R, of Liberal, was awarded a $3.35 million project on U.S. Highway 160 from U.S. Highway 54 to U.S. Highway 283 in Meade County and Clark County.
The project consisted of an HMA overlay along U.S.-160 from the U.S.-54 intersection to U.S-283 started in March and ending in late April. The route had previously been used as a detour for a bridge project along Hwy. 54 in Meade County and was in need of a resurfacing project to address the deterioration of the roadway.
KDOT Southwest District Construction Manager Joel Valdez and Public Information Officer Yazmin Moreno said the award means a lot.
“It’s very special for the Liberal Construction office and for J&R Constructors Group,” Valdez said.
“It’s a testament to the hard work and how KDOT works with the contractor,” Moreno said. “It takes both the contract and KDOT to work together to produce such outstanding work like we did in this project.”
Moreno said while all KDOT projects are important, the recently completed project in Meade County ad Clark County was even more important.
“U.S.-160, at the time, had multiple potholes,” she said. “It was deteriorating due to it being used as a detour for the bridge project on U.S.-54, and we’re just happy we were able to get those under way as fast as we did.”
Providing Kansas motorists with the highest quality of HMA is what keeps Valdez motivated to continue his work with KDOT.
“Ultimately, that’s what pushes us to make the highest quality highways,” he said.
Smooth rides are also important to Valdez, and drivers along the recently repaired route have been pleased with the work.
“We’ve heard nothing but good compliments on it,” he said.
Valdez and Moreno said the local KDOT office and J&R Constructors Group getting the award means a lot for them.
“It’s always an exciting time when you get recognized like this from KAPA,” Valdez said.
“Especially in Liberal,” Moreno said. “We’re pretty proud of all of our employees in Liberal who had a hand in it.”
Valdez said he wants to give special thanks to KDOT maintenance barea supervisors from Clark County and Meade County who took the time to go with him before the project started to discuss areas that needed additional care.
“I want to give a great big ‘thank you’ to J&R Constructors Group and to all the KDOT inspectors who were involved in this project,” he said.
The local KDOT office still has an active project near Sublette. Valdez said work is progressing well there, and other projects are on the horizon for 2026.
“We are hoping to get this completed sometime early next year, maybe closer to spring time,” he said of the Sublette project. “More future projects are coming into our area. We have an overlay project that will be done on Hwy. 144 east. We have two other HIR jobs, hot in-place recycle – one on K-190 from Satanta all the way to 160 and another one from Rolla all the way to Richfield on Hwy. 51.”
