History
In 1994, the communities of Hutchinson and McPherson began serious discussions
about the prospect of building a four-lane highway between the two cities. In
late 1995, Wilson & Company of Salina, Kansas, was hired to begin an engineering feasibility
study to examine the corridor. The study was paid for by the governing bodies
of Reno and McPherson Counties, and the Cities of Hutchinson, McPherson and
Inman.
In 1999 the Kansas Legislature authorized one billion dollars for statewide
System Enhancement projects in the Comprehensive Transportation Program. So,
on December 8, 1999, these same communities submitted a System Enhancement proposal
to KDOT for the construction of a four-lane combination expressway/freeway between
Hutchinson and McPherson. As a part of that application, the coalition volunteered
to contribute $275,000 towards the project cost and to take over maintenance of 17
miles of the existing State Highway System in Reno County and 4.3 miles in McPherson
County. By volunteering to take over maintenance of these miles and contributing funds,
the K-61 application was awarded "extra credit" points based on a formula established
by KDOT. This "extra credit" was instrumental in having the K-61 proposal selected
ahead of competing projects.
Based upon the proposal, KDOT conducted a K-61 Enhancement Study of the 22-mile long
and 6-mile wide section of K-61 beginning at 17th Street in Hutchinson and continuing
northeast to where the road is currently four lanes southwest of McPherson. As a result
of this study, engineers determined two things:
- There was a need for such a project.
- The probable solution to those traffic needs was a four lane expressway or freeway.
On August 4, 2000, KDOT announced the selection of K-61 as one of the 29 projects selected
to receive funding as part of the one-billion-dollar System Enhancement Program.
Note: See Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.
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| A stretch of K-61 near Inman, Kansas. |
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