Wichita to spend $16 million to catch up street, utility maintenance

Wichita will invest about $16 million next year to continue catching up on deferred street and utility maintenance.

The city is going to spend an additional $8 million in 2014 on street repairs, specifically an initiative by contracted outside crews to repair thermal cracks those inch-wide, curb-to-curb cracks in residential streets that bounce cars all across Wichita. The 2014 city budget calls for almost another $11 million for internal pavement maintenance and salaries.

Another $8.2 million will be spent updating sewer and water lines through the citys capital improvements program or, as public works director Alan King puts it, trying to get closer to the industry standards for replacement. The 2014 budget has another $7.5 million in the citys sewer fund and $51 million in the water fund.

The 2014 expenditures were approved this week as part of the councils consent budget, where a bundle of items receive one vote without any discussion.

But Vice Mayor Pete Meitzner referenced the extra maintenance money at the end of the meeting, saying its important for the public to note the citys redoubled commitment.

I think it is important for the citizens to know we are spending some significant dollars to improve hundreds of streets, and water and sewer repairs that are overdue, Meitzner said. A commitment to the basic functions of city government is to assure police, fire, roads, water and sewer, and this $16-plus million is a step in the right direction.

Contract street repair crews will fan out across most of the city next year, King said, to start work on those cracks, formed when street surfaces expand and contract over several years of heating and cooling.

About 300 lane miles of city street will be covered in the project, King said.

Its not something that just happened, he said. Its been over a number of years, several freeze and heat cycles. It hasnt been a repair that the city has focused upon in the past.

About a third of the citys residential streets will be covered in the project, King said.

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Wichita to spend $16 million to catch up street, utility maintenance