Willard Bridge Budget To Be Set

On Monday, Shawnee County public works director Tom Vlach will ask county commissioners to approve the operating budget for the pending Willard Bridge reconstruction project. That budget calls for $23,546,466 from Shawnee County. Those funds will come for a combination of sources:

■ Remainder from the 2004 countywide half-cent sales tax. About $6 million is left over.

■ Between $7 million and $10 million for a Kansas Department of Transportation loan.

■ A still unknown amount from the 2017 sales tax extension.

■ A yet-to-be-determined amount from federal obligation funds, a federal match for roads and bridge projects and temporary financing or general obligation bonds, if necessary.

How much money will come from each source will be determined after the county knows exactly how much to expect from the sales tax extension and KDOT loan, Vlach said.

Another $1,158,406 will come from Wabaunsee County. Shawnee County already has spent $1.4 million on bridge design.

Setting the project budget is necessary for drafting an agreement with Wabaunsee County, Vlach wrote in a memo to the commissioners. The county will be able to open bidding for the project at 2 p.m. on Dec. 2 with the contract awarded by Dec. 22.