Responsibility has shifted from Topeka to Shawnee County for rebuilding a road that straddles city limits at an economic development park south of town.
County Commissioners Kevin Cook, Shelly Buhler and Bob Archer voted 3-0 Monday to enter into a contract calling for the county to carry out bidding, construction and construction administration for the joint $1 million project to rebuild S.W. Gary Ormsby Drive between S.W. Innovation Parkway and the on-ramp to northbound US-75 highway.
“I feel much more comfortable than I did when we first took up this topic,” Cook said.
He was referring to how the agreement initially called for the city to be responsible for those duties when commissioners considered it July 2 and indicated they wanted the county to play a larger role. County staff members subsequently worked with city staff members to revise the contract. The city maintains the road’s south side because it lies within the annexed area. The county maintains the north side because it lies in unincorporated Shawnee County.
Tom Vlach, director of the county’s public works and solid waste departments, said the arrangement approved Monday continues to call for the city to play the lead role in designing the reconstruction. However, it shifts responsibility for the other parts of the project to the county.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)