Volume 41 - Issue 31 - August 4, 2022
State of Kansas
Department of Transportation
Notice of Intent to Conduct Environmental Assessment
Public notice is hereby given that the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), will prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposal to expand a portion of the US-54/US-400/East Kellogg Corridor in Sedgwick and Butler Counties, Kansas to a controlled-access freeway. The City of Wichita, Kansas and the City of Andover, Kansas are serving as partners in the study.
The overall environmental study limits begin just west of the K-96/Interstate 35/Kansas Turnpike junction in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas and extend to the east to approximately 500 feet east of Prairie Creek Road in Andover, Butler County, Kansas. The overall length of the proposed project is approximately 4.25 miles. Major interchange improvements are being considered at K-96, 143rd Street East/Springdale Drive, 159th Street East/SW County Line Road, Andover Road, and Yorktown Road. A grade separation is being considered at Onewood Drive.
Within the EA, KDOT and FHWA will evaluate a “No Build” alternative as well as expansion alternatives. Roadway configurations, including freeway mainlanes and frontage roads, and interchange options will be evaluated throughout the corridor.
The FHWA and KDOT plan to prepare an EA for the project. The EA will analyze the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts resulting from the proposed project. The following issues will be specifically analyzed as part of the EA: traffic noise; impacts to aquatic ecosystems and floodplains; effects on cultural resources; effects on threatened and endangered species and habitats; conversion of farmland; effects on the transportation system; effects on parks/recreation; populations with environmental justice concerns; community cohesion; and socioeconomics. This includes direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts. Other federal approvals or permits that may be required; a Section 404 Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), floodplain development permits from Sedgwick and Butler Counties, and water resource and floodplain permits from the Kansas Division of Water Resources.
A scoping and coordination process was initiated with appropriate federal, state, and local agencies and tribal governmental entities on April 28, 2022, and with stakeholders and the public on May 26, 2022. Coordination will continue throughout the study to engage the local and regional community to inform and obtain input from agencies, tribal governmental entities, stakeholders, and the public with an interest in the project. Coordination meetings will be held as needed with federal, state, local, and tribal governmental entities. A public meeting will be conducted in the Fall 2022 to gather input and share findings from the EA. The EA will be made available for public and agency review and comment prior to a public hearing anticipated to be held in late 2022. To ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed action are addressed and all potentially significant issues defined, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or questions concerning the proposed action and the EA should be directed to KDOT at the address provided below.
For further information contact Kansas Department of Transportation, Attn: Raja Govindaswamy, P.E., Bureau Chief – KDOT Alternative Delivery, Eisenhower State Office Building, 700 SW Harrison St., Topeka, KS 66603-3745, phone 316-744-1271 ext. 229, email raja.govindaswamy@ks.gov.
Julie Lorenz
Secretary
Doc. No. 050396
