Sedgwick County defers four bridge projects

Sedgwick County delayed about $4 million of bridge repairs in March.

Four bridge projects in the county’s capital improvement program were delayed, including updates to bridges on North Broadway, East Pawnee and 53rd Street North.

Sedgwick County voters passed a 1-cent sales tax back in 1985. Residents and visitors still pay that sales tax in addition to the state’s 5.5-cent sales tax.

Half of the county’s sales tax revenue goes to finance road and bridge projects. The money goes to the county’s general fund before being transferred into the county’s local sales tax road and bridge fund.

There was about $10 million in that road and bridge fund at the start of the year, said county public information officer Kate Flavin. But there is $6.5 million more in scheduled projects.

These four projects had to be rescheduled to a later year:

▪ $1.7 million for a Broadway bridge between 117th and 125th Street North, east of Sedgwick.

▪ $803,919 for a Pawnee bridge between 127th and 143rd Street East, southeast of Wichita.

▪ $803,919 for a Pawnee bridge between 143rd and 159th Street East, southeast of Wichita.

▪ $700,000 for a 53rd Street North bridge between 231st and 247th Street West, south of Andale.

The Broadway bridge was supposed to be replaced this year. The 2017 budget called the bridge “structurally deficient.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Sedgwick County defers four bridge projects."