Shawnee County officials will construct a traffic circle at the intersection of SW 29th and Auburn Roads and rebuild Auburn Road from that intersection south to the intersection with Highway K-4.
The county planned to do so even before it learned that Auburn-Washburn was planning to build a $437 middle school on the southeast corner of SW 29th and Auburn, state public works director Curt Niehaus said last week. county.
The county commission voted Nov. 3 to authorize Niehaus to solicit qualification information from firms interested in working with the county to provide construction engineering and design services for the project.
No project budget so far
The public works department has since shortlisted the firm it wants to work with and will likely ask commissioners to approve a contract with that firm within the next 30 days, Niehaus said.
“To date, no budget has been established for the project,” he said.
County intends to build a traffic circle at SW 29 and Auburn; rebuild SW Auburn South to its intersection with Highway K-4, although not including that intersection; and perhaps do more, Niehaus said.
“Our timeline is for construction to be completed by August 2025,” he said.
SW 29th and Auburn are governed by flashing red lights instructing drivers using SW 29th to stop and flashing yellow lights warning motorists using SW Auburn Road that traffic may enter the intersection from their left or right.
County officials decided to put a roundabout at SW 29th and Auburn because “roundabouts are much safer and more efficient than the current four-way intersection (two-way stop),” Niehaus told The Capital-Journal in a statement. e-mail.
Moreover:What Auburn-Washburn’s $145 Million Blockbuster USD 437 Bond Means for the School District
US$437 voters approved a US$145 million bond issue
Meanwhile, the mayor and city council of Topeka voted on February 14 to annex a 93.05-acre tract of property at the northeast corner of SW 29th and Auburn Roads.
The land will become the site of a new middle school for $437 Auburn-Washburn.
The move was requested by the Auburn-Washburn Board of Education for $437, where voters last April approved a $145 million bond issue that included $64 million to go and build a middle school.
The mayor and council also voted 9-0 to arrange for the affected property to be zoned to allow for development as a middle school, with public road access.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.
