By Don Edwards

Publisher, CoffeyvilleBLOG.com-Reprinted with permission.

 

With the Cline Road extension from Eighth to Eleventh Street scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, the City of Coffeyville is turning its attention to the next major city street project.

 

The Coffeyville City Commission approved an engineering services contract with Transystems Corporating of Independence for improvements to Cline Road.

 

According to Superintendent of Engineering Scott Massman, Cline Road is in need of repair.

 

"The project calls for a full depth replacement of Cline Road from Eighth Street to Woodland Avenue," Massman told the commissioners. "The road is in very poor shape from Fourth Street to Woodland Avenue with rutting and what is believed to be a base problem. The new surface requested is a 9-inch concrete pavement section with new curb and gutter replacement as well. Storm water improvements are also included in the project request."

 

Massman also told the commission that the city would likely shift the project parameters to begin at Fourth Street and extend north past Woodland Avenue possibly as far as Stark Avenue.

 

"Cline from Fourth to Eighth is actually in pretty good shape," he said. "So we think this might be what we want to do."

 

Funding for this project for the construction and construction engineering is based on a 80/20 match up to $1.4 million with the Kansas Department of Transportation paying 80 percent and the city paying 20 percent. KDOT does not participate in design engineering costs. The project is planned to let in November of 2011, meaning actual construction would not begin until 2012 at the earliest. The City of Coffeyville would be required to budget for 20 percent of the construction engineering cost not to exceed $36,000.

 

City Manager Jeff Morris said sales tax money from an existing sales tax would be the source of the city's contribution to the project. Funds generated from the proposed 1/2-cent sales tax to be voted on in Decemeber are not being proposed for this project. The commission has been clear in their wish to use the new sales tax money for residential street repairs — not arterial roadways in commercial/industrial areas such as Cline Road.

 

The city had asked KDOT to approve funding a 12th Street replacement project. However, KDOT balked at participating in the cost of fixing that street as they did not feel it was a major arterial road. Cline Road north of Eighth Street was the next highest arterial roadway on the city's 5-year Plan filed with KDOT.