by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The new Vandenburgh Ave. in Wellington is slated to be completed and opened to motorists on Dec. 5 to Dec. 7 weather permitting said Cody Sims, Wellington City Economic Director.

That is the latest completion estimate as of today, Nov. 26, 2013. The completion date has been moved back a couple of times already, so that date is not etched in stone.

“We are hoping to open things up at the end of next week,” Sims said. “The latest seven-day weather outlook is promising. We are eager to get things wrapped up.”

So is probably everybody. The $2.12 million highway and parallel 10-inch sewer line project started in earnest on March 18. When open it will be a diagonal thoroughfare connecting the north end of A Street near the Industrial Park to the U.S. 160/81 Pizza Hut intersection.

Sims said there is still sealant work to be done on all the concrete joints on Vandenburgh. Then there will be paving striping, which road crews hope to have done before the road is opened.

Once open then the city will decide whether to make Vandenburgh into a U.S. 81 by-pass road. Wellington City Manager Gus Collins said he is personally against this proposal because if the state takes over Vandenburgh then A Street connecting Vandenburgh to the A Street Roundabout, about one mile south, will no longer be U.S. 81, thus no longer the responsibility of the state of Kansas. Road improvements would then fall solely back to the city of Wellington.

Wellington benefits from state funding of U.S. 160 and 81 road construction within the city limits through KLINK and Geometric grant projects. The state usually funds 80 or 90 percent of the projects to the city’s 20 or 10 percent. If A Street is no longer U.S. 81, then the city will no longer be eligible for these state funds.

On the other hand, the Wellington City Council will need to decide whether or not making Vandenburgh a state highway will cut down truck traffic on A Street, thus cutting down on wear and tear of A Street and the roundabout.

“It is something we will discuss at a later date,” Collins said.