Vandenburg Ave. gets its first concrete today.

by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Today was a big day for Wellington. The construction of the new Vandenburg Ave. has officially started.

Starting today, Dondlinger & Sons Construction Company Inc. of Wichita using concrete subcontractor APAC Kansas Inc., Shears Division of Wellington started pouring contract at the U.S. 160/81 Pizza Hut intersection. They will proceed going north until reaching A Street on the north side of town.

“The weather finally left us alone enough to allow us to get started pouring concrete,” said Gus Collins, Wellington City Manager. “Right now the target date is Nov. 1.”

The road has been closed since March 18. Originally, the plan was to finish in September. But the unseasonable rain has delayed about everything.

The total cost of the project will be $2.12 million for a new highway and a 10-inch sewer line which runs parallel to the west side of the road. The cost to the city of Wellington will be $553,000. The road construction project is a split with the Kansas Department of Transportation, which pays 80 percent of the project. The other 20 percent will be paid by the city. The road bid was $1.894,931 The city picked up all of the water line project cost which is budgeted at $275,000.

The new road will include two lanes, shoulders, and turn lanes in specific areas. The medians will also be taken out at the north edge of the project to make it easier for wide loads to get through. The construction of Vandenburg has been discussed by the city since the 1990s.