Open house for U.S. 69 expansion next week in Arma

The Kansas Department of Transportation has scheduled an open house to gather information and comments on the $57 million T-WORKS project to expand U.S. 69 to a four-lane upgradable expressway between Fort Scott and Arma.

Hours will be 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, at Northeast High School, 1003 E. South St., in Arma.

KDOT will brief local officials on the project at 3:30 p.m. the same day, also at Northeast High School.

The project starts approximately three miles north of the Arma city limits and continues north for 11 miles, ending south of the U.S.69/K-7 junction at Fort Scott. The venture has moved into the preliminary design phase, with construction scheduled to begin in 2017.

In addition, the open house will feature information concerning the "Arma Connection" preliminary engineering project. The six-mile Arma Connection would create a four-lane expressway around the city of Arma and a four-lane upgradable expressway north of Arma. The project would tie into the Fort Scott-to-Arma expansion project and result in a continuous four-lane U.S. 69 corridor from Pittsburg to Kansas City. The Arma Connection, with an estimated overall cost of $26.8 million, is not funded for construction at this time, a news release said.

During the event, members of the public can view maps and information concerning project impacts and cost. KDOT and consultant staff will be on hand to answer questions and gather comments. People can visit any time between 5 and 7 p.m., as no formal presentation is planned, the release said.

The meeting location is ADA accessible. Those in need of a sign language interpreter, an assistive listening device, large print or Braille material, or other accommodation to attend this meeting should notify Priscilla Petersen at Priscilla@ksdot.org, phone (620) 431-1000 (voice), or phone (785) 296-3585 (voice)/hearing impaired -- 711. It would be appreciated if the accommodation request is made at least 10 days in advance of the meeting.

T-WORKS is the statewide transportation program approved by the Kansas Legislature in 2010. For more information about T-WORKS projects and funding, visit the web site at www.ksdot.org/tworks.