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Community thread
- By Phillip Brownlee
- Posted July 23, 2007 at 1:00 a.m.
- Filed under Open thread
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27 Comments
Does anyone know when/where the meeting is today (Monday) to discuss gambling pros and cons?
Eagle editorial opinion said “vote no”. Meeting to discuss the issue is no longer needed. Case closed.
Tony, to answer your question from yesterday:
In the GVA Marquette study, they estimate that the social costs of problem gamblers from a casino in downtown Wichita could be between $71 and $106 million (Social Impact VII-9).
Then on the next page of the report it states: “While this community social burden could be significant, its quantified estimate is still surpassed by the positive economic impacts measured in this study. These continuing benefits include the following:”
Then the study lists the various economic benefits of the casino, the third largest being employee wages, representing about 26% of the total benefits.
If you read this as I do, that means that casino employee wages will be used — at least in this accounting — to offset and pay for the social costs of problem gamblers. I wonder what potential casino employees think of that.
I think this is like Randy Scholfield writing an editorial apologizing for the fact that old issues of the Wichita Eagle are causing landfills to fill up, but noting that because the Eagle employs newspaper reporters, their salaries offset that problem, and can be used to pay for new landfills, transfer stations, incinerators, or recycling programs.
Century II, room 210.
And with wages we should consider that ALL the locations – downtown, Park City, Coliseum, Sumner – are within easy commute from Goddard, Andover, Wichita, etc.
More Road Construction – Ugh!!
The Kellogg and Rock Road area, which is one of Wichita’s busiest intersections, will undergo additional construction on Monday, July 23, as Wildcat Construction begins the latest phase of improvements to the east Kellogg Freeway.
The latest Kellogg Freeway improvements will include constructing access roads from Governeour to east of Rock Road. The first phase will focus on the north access road. The second phase will focus on the south access road and the construction of the east half of the Rock Road bridge. The third phase will build the west half of the Rock Road bridge, the Armour Road bridge and the main freeway.
The completed improvements will carry Kellogg Freeway traffic under Rock Road. The improvements are scheduled for completion in spring 2010 at an estimated cost of $ 47.5 million. Graphics are attached to the press release. Following are construction details:
1.
The north access road – adjacent to Old Chicago restaurant and Firestone – will be open for westbound Kellogg traffic from Eastern to Governeour.2.
Also, beginning 9 a.m. on Monday, all left turns at the intersection of Kellogg and Armour will be suspended, except for the left turn from eastbound Kellogg toward northbound Armour/Rusty Eck autodealer. Eastbound and westbound traffic through the intersection will not be interrupted.3.
At 7 a.m. on Tuesday, left turns at the intersection of Kellogg & Rock will be suspended for two days. The westbound traffic on Kellogg will be diverted to the newly constructed north access road. Although left turns will not be allowed at the intersection, left turns are allowed through newly installed turnarounds – similar to past construction at Woodlawn. Left turns will be allowed at the turnaround at Eastern and the temporary turnaround between Armour and Rock Road. All businesses in the area will be accessible to motorists.
The 35-mile-per hour speed limit through the construction area will be enforced.
I was wondering what was going on, as the access road on the North side of Kellogg had experienced sudden activity, that is, striping, new control signs, etc. have appeared within the last week. Now I know that I’ll need to be aware of those who consider speed limit signs merely advisory when going to work beginning tomorrow.
Vaughn,
You’d think someone in Wichita’s streets department would have the brains to get Central re-opened _first._
I don’t get this city. When they start a major road project, they close off half the alternate routes with construction at the same time.
That presupposes, Tom, that some of those who will be using Kellogg would use Central were it completed. Not, in all cases, a safe presumption.
I _think_ the Central work is part of the “use it or lose it” grant money that the City has cited for so much street/road work currently ongoing here in Wichita. If so, I can see where that couldn’t have been coordinated. If not part of the grant money, then I must wonder as well about the competence of those involved.
Vaughn,
The Central project is part of the expiring grant.
But this isn’t the first time. Since I moved here over 12 years ago, I’ve seen Wichita do this again and again: Tear up parallel arterial streets simultaneously, leaving no alternate routes around road construction. It’s very frustrating.
Yep, Tom, in the 28 years I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that too, although the trend has definitely accelerated within the past 10 to 15 years.
It will be interesting this evening to see if I am on the new pavement (w’bound frontage). I have been looking forward to that as a sort of milestone.
By the way, Central between Woodlawn and Rock is almost done. ‘Underpavement’ is complete over the creek.
That’s good Ben – just as I was getting used to driving the orange pylon obstacle course too.
Yea, I drive it every morning.
Someone told me an alternate alignment was proposed for Highway 54 EAST OF DOWNTOWN TO THE TURNPIKE probably back in the 1960’s. I believe the plan was to leave the present Kellogg alignment somewhere east of Hillside and Calvary Cemetery, go southeasterly for a block or two, then proceed east to the turnpike and beyond.
I don’t know how much of those neigbhorhoods were developed by the 1960’s that would have had to be demolished. The turnpike itself was built in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.
But that parallel route for Highway 54 would have been a lot easier to build by avoiding continuous heavy traffic during construction over the past 40 to 50 years.
Incidentally, concrete bridges won’t last forever. The ten miles or so of the north-south I-135 “flyover” will probably have to be completely replaced in the next five to 10 years. Are the millions of dollars for this massive project being set aside in a reconstruction fund so that cost doesn’t hit Sedgwick County taxpayers like a bolt out of the blue?
Or is that the $300,000,000.13 that is being sunk into the useless downtown WHITE ELEPHANT ARENA by the three holdover county commissioners?
Woodlawn and Central intersection is completely done and so is the repaving of Woodlawn through Eastbourgh.
You know folks, once the complete the Rock Road underpass and connect it to where it is west bound near Armour. And East bound just short of the Turnpike, there will be another round starting.
Turnpike entrance and exits will be redone, Kellogg and Webb will become a freeway exit. That liquor store on the corner, Italian Gardens and the Clubhouse Inn will be gone.
Then Greenwich is next. Kellogg will be a freeway all the way to K-96. And once they get that project going, you have the NW bypass and finishing up Kellogg as a freeway all the way to and through Goddard.
Kellogg is going to have cones forever. LOL
JWink! I-135 is Federal Interstate. They get massive federal assistance for that.
What I cannot wait is for them to complete 4-lane 54 through Greensburg, around Pratt and onwards towards Kingman. That is when it’s going to be really nice.
Amen Joe Williams!
I despise that drive to Pratt now. I would go there more often if it wasn’t for that dangerous road to Pratt.
Kansas! Before they Super 2 it years ago it was even way more dangerous.
It was the most dangerous road route through-out the state of Kansas. Many people die on that road. They even gave it a name, but I forget. I’ll ask a friend of mine. But between Kingman and Pratt, it used to be called Death Road or something like that.
Joe,
Do you read Car and Driver?
They had a funny commentary about what an alien might think about our highway system if one were to come here.
The aliean would think that whoever makes orange cones is probably the business to be in!
To this day, I don’t understand why they don’t simply fix something all at once in under a month and then move on to something else.
Instead we have what seems like 50 roadway projects which last over a year to complete.
How long do I have to be annoied by the construction at Maple and Ridge?
I hardly ever see anyone working at Rock and Kellogg.
They have been milking that thing for Lord knows how long now.
Just get those guys out there actually working 12 hour days or even shifts and get it done!
Nathan, they can get it done fast if they want. They cut up and added steel bars and diamond surface K-96 from I-135 to west of Webb in a month. Something that would have taken many, many months to complete. They are doing the same thing on 1-135.
What is the difference? They are working at night. When it’s much cooler and a lot less traffic. They should be doing the same thing on Kellogg and Rock.
But something tells me they hired Union Contractors for these jobs. Meaning the city doesn’t want all the money to be gobbled in overtime pay.
I believe I am still on the mailing list for the national booster group for Highway 54 called THE SPIRIT OF (HIGHWAY) 54. That group held their annual meeting here in Wichita a couple years ago.
Highway 54 is said to be the most heavily traveled two-lane highway in America. And of course being a heavily traveled two-lane road, it has its share of accidents. I would guess Highway 50 a little further north has a similar share of accidents. I remember well the death of a bright classmate from a good Pratt family, Norman Blasi, many years ago out on Highway 54 east of Pratt.
Early on the portion of Highway 54 from Wichita through Kingman, through Pratt and onto Greensburg was known as the Cannonball Road named after a popular stagecoach driver, Mr. Cannonball Green. In fact, Greensburg was named after him.
Later, probably in the 1940’s, Highway 54 advertised the slogan, “The shortcut road from Chicago to the Southwest.” Somewhere in New Mexico, Highway 54 and Highway 66 connected. From there, Highway 54 went southward to El Paso and Highway 66 continued on westward to Los Angelos.
Because of Highway 54’s connection to El Paso, Texas, it is considered a natural NAFTA corridor along its 960 mile route from El Paso to Wichita.
Speaking of GREENSBURG, I believe the pre-2007 tornado route was planned to sweep around the south side of Greensburg. Now the priority is to get the business route back in business. I believe their current plan is to shift the business route from Greensburg’s Kansas Avenue north two blocks to their east-west Ohio Avenue. This would put it north of the business district but still south side of the major Rock Island railroad alignment. (I know the name is no longer Rock Island). If this plan has changed, someone please correct me.
In regard to KINGMAN, some people want to route Highway 54 around the north side of Kingman possibly a mile or so north of the present business route through town. That’s why four lane Highway 54 stops just east of Kingman. However, some proponents of this route have since moved from Kingman so I don’t know what the current plan is.
In regard to PRATT, a similar plan was made to route Highway 54 around the north side of Pratt, probably just to the south of the Pratt Airbase Industrial Park. Of course, like Kingman, the business route would continue to pass along the current alignment on Pratt’s First Street through town.
However, most of the current Highway 54 alignment would be improved but continue to be used.
Its true the federal government would pick up a major portion of the humongous tab for these highway projects plus the soon to be needed replacement of Wichita’s I-135 flyover (I estimate a billion dollars for this project).
However, the federal government’s debt is now in the nine trillion dollar range (I should google this amount). So unless we are going to keep running our printing presses at full speed ahead, printing paper money backed by the full faith and credit of the Chinese Government — the U.S. government must put the brakes on this out of control spending.
The 54 project routes have already been determined. Right-a-ways are already being purchased. One phase of it will be starting soon, and that is the route around Cunningham.
http://www.forward54.org
Building a by-pass around Cunningham is about as important as building a by-pass around downtown Wichita to handle the Sunday morning traffic to and from the downtown churches. FRANKLY ITS NOT NEEDED.
I drive through the quiet little village of Cunningham a lot. Usually very little traffic there. It does provide a welcome stop for gas and coffee break at that convenience store on the west edge of town. Driving through peaceful little Cunningham takes all of two minutes driving time and shows off a little bit of historic Kansas Americana.
Is government so desperate for places to spend our non-existent tax dollars and to add to the Federal Government’s NINE TRILLION DOLLAR OBLIGATION TO CHINA?
Building this section of unneeded highway will probably require two massive overpasses to crisscross the old section of virtually unused Sante Fe railroad that parallels Highway 54 through there.
Common sense is needed here but where will it come from?
Not sure why but we were NOT on the new frontage westbound last night. However, with the new red light at Armour/Frontage piggybacked with the one at Armour/Kellogg they messed up flow even worse than before.
Hopefully that will be rectified by tonight.
Noticed that, Ben. Also, this morning, there was not the diversion of west-bound Kellogg beginning at Rock onto the north frontage road (yet), although as I understood it, that was to begin at 7:00 a.m. I was apprehensive, recalling what it was like when all Kellogg traffic westbound was on the frontage road, and happily surprised that at least for one more morning, I didn’t need to worry about it.