South Rouse construction to begin April 9

The City of Pittsburg’s South Rouse Street Widening and Trail project is scheduled to begin Monday, April 9, weather permitting. The engineering, utility relocation and preliminary work is now complete and preparations are underway to begin major construction.

The improvements extend from Centennial Drive to Amber Drive, and include widening South Rouse Street to three lanes, eliminating the ditches, installing storm sewer, and constructing a pedestrian and bicycle trail along the west side of road. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) will be managing the project.

The first phase of the development will primarily consist of storm sewer improvements. During this phase, the majority of the work will take place outside the current roadway. However, there will be times that the storm sewer work will need to cross the road. Crews will schedule this work carefully, to help minimize traffic delays and impacts to motorists during peak times. This may cause some construction to be scheduled during evening hours. The City plans to send updates periodically, before any major milestones in the construction. Residents and businesses will be contacted directly to address any site-specific impacts.

This project is funded by a KDOT grant for the trail, private donations for the trail construction, and City funds for the road reconstruction and widening. It would not have been possible without the cooperation and assistance of KDOT, private donors and City of Pittsburg taxpayers.