Andover moves Prairie Creek Road paving to 2027, annexes road right-of-way
The Andover City Council voted 6-0 on Oct. 27 to move construction of Prairie Creek Road from the KTA bridge to 21st Street into the city's 2027 capital improvement plan, pushing the South Backage Road project back to 2028.
Earlier in the meeting, the council also voted 6-0 to adopt an ordinance annexing the western portion of the N. Prairie Creek Road right-of-way from the KTA bridge over I-35 to E. 21st Street. The eastern half of the right-of-way was annexed in 1995 under City Ordinance No. 838. The Butler County Commission approved a consent resolution for the annexation on Oct. 6. Staff said the city already maintains the road and the change places the full right-of-way inside city limits ahead of planned improvements.
The South Backage Road segment was scheduled around the Thoroughbred multifamily project. According to a staff memo from Les Mangus, the developer dropped that project after it was not awarded Low Income Housing Tax Credit funding, removing the urgency to build the road. State access management funding for the backage road has also been pushed to KDOT's 2028 fiscal year, which begins in July 2027.
City funds committed to the backage road will instead be used to finish Prairie Creek Road in 2027. Staff believes the work can be negotiated as a change order to the current Prairie Creek Road KTA bridge project at its bid unit prices for $1.2 million to $1.4 million, compared with $1.8 million if bid as a standalone project at 2028 costs. The council directed staff to bring a negotiated agreement back for future consideration.
Staff said the extension will be concrete pavement and will include a 10-foot bicycle and pedestrian path out to 21st Street as part of the city's trails plan. The bridge contractor plans to build the bridge over the winter and return in the spring for storm sewer, grading and paving, with completion targeted for summer. Staff said adding roughly a couple thousand feet of pavement is not expected to substantially change that schedule.
