ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Talks have been ongoing for a while regarding the possible realignment of the Six Points intersection in Liberal that connects U.S. Highway 83 with U.S. Highway 54.

Last week, those talks took a big step forward as officials with the Kansas Department of Transportation gave community members a look at maps showing the proposed design and a chance to learn more about the project’s timeline.

KDOT Consultant Team Project Manager Kelly Farlow said prior to last week, a two-year study was completed about a year ago with different options considered, and the chosen alignment was shown at two open houses last week at Seward County Community College.

“We’re expanding to a four-lane section,” Farlow said. “Through the city of Liberal, it’ll be a five-lane section. Outside, it’ll be the divided highway, and it has improvements to the former Six Points intersection of U.S. 54, U.S. 83.”

Farlow said all of this came through the study, and transportation leaders are now working through the preliminary design phase of the project.

“A lot of that is getting through more of the design details, but also coordinating with property owners, businesses, stakeholders on some of the local connections and entrances,” she said.

In 2025 during local consult meetings with KDOT, local stakeholders turned down an option to create a roundabout at the current Six Points intersection. Farlow said the option presented last week is the choice going forward with the project.

“This is what we’ll move forward for the project,” she said. “Based on some conversations we’ve had, we’re still tweaking some of those local access roads and entrances. You’ll see some more changes to those.”

According to project details presented last week, the project is estimated to cost about $62 million, with about three miles of road constructed. Farlow said funding levels are not in place for the project to begin at this time, and the earliest construction would happen would be 2030.

As for what happens between now and then, Farlow said preliminary design will wrap up, and right-of-way limits will be set. She said both of those should be done by the end of 2026.

“KDOT will decide what happens after that, so there will likely be some information coming out on what happens after that,” she said. “If it keeps moving forward with the right-of-way acquisition and final design, utility relocation, all of that takes some time to work through, so that’s where that earliest of 2030 construction date comes from.”

Farlow said many different opinions were heard at last week’s events.

“A lot of people have been very tightened through the selection of the highway alignment,” she said. “I think there are a lot of people who are excited for the improvements there. It’s a balancing act with property impacts, and that’s the part we’re working through. We met with property owners, and now, we have the general public here. We’ll see what they say.”

One of the issues local transportation has had recently is finding a way across railroad tracks when trains are stopped, and as of now, the overpass on Country Estates Road is the only option in Liberal. Farlow said no new overpass will be created with the realignment, but the 83 overpass will stay in place.

“We are looking at some signage or message boards we can use to alert drivers if there’s a train blocking at Eighth Street or as you approach the signal from the intersection,” she said.

Farlow said a few things still need to be done before the construction process would begin.

“A lot of what people would see out here would be the right-of-way acquisition process,” she said. “That’s started with contacting the property owners. KDOT is starting the soils investigation, so you’ll see trucks out collecting soil samples to help inform the design.”