By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
In September 2021, Great Bend city officials announced a project was in the works with the Kansas Department of Transportation to create dedicated left-turn signals for all the traffic lights at the 10th Street and McKinley Street intersection.
Going through the KDOT timeframe with a few delays, Great Bend Public Works Director Jason Cauley said bid letting for the project is expected late this summer.
"The signals will be the most state-of-the-art that we can get," said Cauley. "There will be an all-new camera system, everything will be replaced there. We'll have a protected turn signal for the north and south traffic."
North and southbound traffic on McKinley currently have to yield before making a left turn onto 10th Street. The improvement will add left-turn signals to all the traffic lights, which already exist for east and westbound traffic on 10th Street.
"The project will put in the new poles and new lights," said Cauley. "The intersection is already built to support that."
The KDOT plan also calls for new LED pedestrian signals and ADA improvements to the intersection.