CHERRYVALE — Bids will be received this month for a nearly mile long project in Montgomery County that will improve traffic flow around the Bartlett soybean processing plant southeast of Cherryvale.
The public could stop into the Cherryvale Community Center last Thursday to view project maps and visit with those associated with the work for the Kansas Department of Transportation.
U.S. 160 as it travels by the busy Bartlett facility, which is east of U.S. 169 and a neighbor to the Republic landfill, has 11 foot lanes and no shoulders. Ryan Robinson, program manager for the consultants working with KDOT on the IKE 10 year transportation plan, said the work will make the lanes 12 feet and add 8 foot shoulders. The project area is about three-quarters of a mile and includes improving a portion of County Road 5300 up to the entrance to the Bartlett facility.
The new highway will be concrete and the estimated cost is $7 million, Robinson said.
He said turn lanes at CR 5300 for east- and westbound traffic into Bartlett will be added as well.
The curves on U.S. 160 to
See WORK, Page 4.
This map shows the scope of the highway improvement project that will go to bid this month.
the east also will receive 4 foot shoulders during this work.
The project will not cross the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad tracks to the west. Robinson said the project will go to bid this month. Construction is estimated to be completed in the fall of 2026. The highway will be closed during the project period, although Bartlett and Republic traffic will be able to use a shoofly for access.
The official detour takes drivers south of U.S. 160 to U.S. 166 and around. Robinson said the project to improve U.S. 160 from Altamont to the west is in the discovery phase (study and design) now. That project would include 12 foot lanes and shoulders.
