Portion of National Ave. gets new sidewalk

Tammy Helm/Tribune photos A crew from Rogers and Sons Concrete and Excavation of Fort Scott does some finish work on a newly poured sidewalk near 13th Street and National Avenue Wednesday. Pictured are, from left, Jay Merrima, Steve Potter, Jason Outlan, Michael Johnson and Harold Cagle.

Work is underway to improve pedestrian traffic along National Avenue.

A crew from Rogers and Sons Concrete and Excavation of Fort Scott has been rebuilding the sidewalk on the east side of National Avenue between 13th and 15th streets, and when completed, will move to the west side.

The work is part of a $108,000 project that included new sidewalks around the aquatic center, John Garrison of the City of Fort Scott said.

Tammy Helm/Tribune photos A crew from Rogers and Sons Concrete and Excavation of Fort Scott does some finish work on a newly poured sidewalk near 13th Street and National Avenue Wednesday. Pictured are Steve Potter, left, and Jason Outlan cut the sidewalk.

Eventually the city plans to connect the new sidewalks to 6th Street.

Garrison said the city hopes to award bids in the fall that will be part of a $3 million project that will bring improvements from the North National Bridge to 6th Street. Half of that amount will become from federal funds that will be administered by Kansas Department of Transportation. That project is now in the design stage, he said.

"When we're done, we will have tied the sidewalk from Broadway to 15th," Garrison said.