The City of Great Bend says 8th Street between McKinley and Grant is open for traffic. The news comes after the two-block stretch caused a good amount of challenges for a relatively small connector street.
Originally, 8th Street was going to be a straight stretch to the south of The Reserves of Trail Ridge apartment complex, but needing to line up the street with the adjacent 8th Street across McKinley caused the road to curve on the west side. Tractor Supply began building their new store south of 8th Street and needed to fix their plat. Then there were difficulties finding the sewer line and extending it for Tractor Supply. On top of all that, the bidding process to determine which company would handle the pavement of the street had to be rebid with some debate and question on who was qualified for the bid.
Great Bend City Attorney Bob Suelter says after all that, the street is ready for traffic but will eventually need “no parking” signs.
Bob Suelter Audio
The Great Bend City Council approved the placement of stop signs at 8th & Grant and 8th & McKinley.
The corridor connecting Walmart and Dillons is finished in time to help alleviate some of the traffic problems that might pop up during the intersection improvement at 10th Street & Grant. The geometric design project will widen the intersection allowing larger trucks to turn onto Grant or onto 10th Street without issues that are currently presented with the tight turning space. City Administrator Kendal Francis says that project could begin as soon as March.