Ribbon Cutting Marks the Completion of 23-Mile Improvement on K-177

MORRIS & GEARY COUNTIES, KS—After 12 years of planning, design and construction, the K-177 corridor project has reached completion and re-opened to the public. The highly anticipated highway improvement project brings much needed safety and operation improvements to the 22.68-mile stretch of rural highway.

“Benesch has been involved with this project since the very beginning,” said Benesch Kansas Division Manager Rob Krewson, PE. “From the initial corridor study all the way through construction, Benesch staff from multiple offices in Kansas and Nebraska have logged upwards of 37,500 manhours to this important project.”

Benesch has been a key leader in the corridor’s improvements from very early on, starting with extensive data collection and a field investigation to better understand the existing safety, operational and geometric deficiencies along the corridor.

Working alongside the Kansas Department of Transportation, local agencies and stakeholders, Benesch assessed available funding possibilities, community priorities and practical improvements that would provide the greatest return on investment. The resulting design—and now completed corridor—blends new infrastructure with improvements to the existing while protecting the area’s natural resources, enhancing safety and creating new economic opportunities.

Within the nearly 23-mile corridor are 124 culverts, 69 box culverts and five bridges. Construction began in December of 2020 and cost just over $50 million.

“It’s been an honor to have been with this project since the beginning, and to see it finally open to the public!” remarked Benesch Construction Group Manager Wade Heim. “This corridor will improve the lives of residents and the traveling public for years to come.”

Wade joined Benesch’s on-site inspection team comprised of John Foster, Bill Hirt and Shawn Foster, alongside other project partners and local officials, for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, November 21.