U.S. 69 concepts discussed at open house

Fort Scott and Bourbon County community members discuss design concepts with engineers during Thursday evening's U.S. Highway 69 Corridor Study Open House held in the River Room. (Michael Pommier/Tribune photo)

Engineers conducting the U.S. Highway 69 Corridor Study were on hand Thursday evening to answer questions and take input from the community.

An open house was held in the River Room with the goal of obtaining input from the community as well as give an update on the progress of the study. Kyle Anderson of Felsburg, Holt, and Ullevig said the open house is important to get the information out to the community because there may be some important decisions to be made in the future.

"There are a lot of decisions that need to be made by the community," Anderson said.

During the open house, the community had the opportunity to view materials prepared by the engineers which highlight the key features of the study. Those features include the development of the Commercial Corridor (National Avenue to Jayhawk Road) to a four-lane road with increased access points; the downtown area which would include making Main Street a two-way street as well as the development of the corner of Main and Wall streets into a market square; and the area surrounding the intersection of National Avenue and U.S. Hwy. 69 to be a safer intersection and manage the flow of traffic more efficiently. Further, engineers explained concepts for land use and enhancements in the community to make Fort Scott more visually attractive from the highway.

"In Fort Scott, there is a lot to work with," Anderson said.

Design engineer Martin Shukert of RDG Planning and Design described his approach to the development concepts by understanding that streets are the largest public spaces in any town.

"Thinking of the streets as an environment is important," Shukert said. "A street is not there just to move cars and people ... it's also there to create jobs and recreation."

For more information about the study, to view concept designs, or for questions or comments call the Kansas Department of Transportation at (877) 550-5368, visit the study's Web site at www.us69corridorstudy.com, or send an e-mail to info@us69corridorstudy.com.