Roads most affected by construction of a new Allen County Hospital will not require added turning lanes to accommodate increased traffic once the new medical facility is built.
Construction manager Phil Schultze told hospital trustees Tuesday that engineering and traffic flow studies proved it would be unnecessary to add turning lanes.
Schultze said four areas were studied: the U.S. 169-Oregon Road intersection; the intersection of Oregon Road and Kentucky Street and the two spots where the hospital’s driveways will intersect with Kentucky.
Schultze said engineers looked at traffic flow along those roads, incorporating information from studies that looked at increased traffic with similar sized hospitals.
“The traffic count won’t be high enough to warrant left-hand or right-hand turning lanes,” Schultze said.
Road elevation levels also do not need to change.
The report was delivered to Iola city officials earlier Tuesday, Schultze said.
Construction plans include adding almost two feet to the west side of Kentucky Street along hospital property through addition of curbs. The street is 24 feet wide, four feet narrower than standard city roads, Schultze said earlier.
The city assumed responsibility of the road from the county a few years ago.
CONSTRUCTION will begin in late April, about four weeks later than planned, Schultze said.
The delay could have the biggest impact on the hospital’s landscaping and parking lot construction, he said, because the first seven months of the project will focus primarily on getting the hospital built and enclosed.
“And believe it or not, weather can get bad in November and December,” Schultze said.
Schultze and engineer David Wright walked through how the bidding process will proceed, as well as how bills will be double-checked and paid once construction begins.
While trustees will remain intently focused on the project’s bottom line financially, there may be instances when local bidders are chosen for various tasks, even if they don’t have the lowest bid possible, Schultze said, provided the local bidders are qualified and their bid isn’t markedly different from the low bidder.
