BY CORIE LYNN
As new and returning Fort Hays State University students arrive in Hays for the fall semester, many will notice the construction taking place on Vine Street.
“The North Vine Street Corridor project has been a project in the making for years,” said Hays Assistant City Manager Colin Bielser, who is overseeing the project. “The corridor study was initiated in 2015 to begin analyzing potential alternate configurations of Vine Street to improve safety, access to businesses, and vehicular and pedestrian mobility throughout the corridor.”
According to Bielser, construction, which began in June, is 10% completed and running on schedule. With the completion of the project in November 2021, roundabouts will extend from Vine and E. 32nd St to Vine and Mopar Drive.
“To date, work on the project has focused on the west frontage road between 32nd and 37th as well as the 32nd and 33rd Street and Vine Street intersections. Mainline work along Vine Street is anticipated to start later this month,” Bielser said.
He explained that following this portion of the project, construction for the remainder of the year will focus on the hourglass roundabouts at 32nd and 33rd St.
Even with new public restrictions at local and state levels due to COVID-19, the project has not faced any setbacks. This comes from the essential nature of the work.
“Providing and maintaining critical infrastructure, including the construction or repair of roads has been deemed an essential function,” Bielser said.
As construction continues, residents can learn more about the project on the North Vine Corridor website. Here, visitors can view the cost of the project, the traffic impact study, information from the Kansas Department of Transportation on how to navigate roundabouts, and flyers specific to each phase of the project.
Bielser explained that residents can turn to the website to answer many of their questions, but also use the page to reach out to the city.
“On the page is a link to a public comment form that people can complete if they have questions or concerns,” he said.
To remain up to date on the progress of the Vine Street Construction residents are encouraged to sign up for Hays’s new alert system, which will provide information on news across the city in addition to the Vine project.
“You can select to sign up for alerts when news flash items occur for both city news and information as well as road closures and project updates,” Bielser said. “Each time a traffic pattern change is scheduled to occur we release an update.”