Woodlawn Expansion Project Updates
8/12/25: Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) has submitted Woodlawn redesign plans to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) for review, which is anticipated to take two to four weeks. PEC will address any requested revisions to the design before resubmitting for approval.
The design will then be presented to the Bel Aire City Council and KDOT for final approval. During this time, coordination will begin to establish a reconstruction schedule, with the goal of starting work by the end of this year.
The City Council and staff share the community’s immense frustration and are dedicated to ensuring that Woodlawn is reconstructed into a lasting, reliable roadway. The legal process surrounding the initial project remains ongoing, and KDOT is committed to covering the associated reconstruction costs during this time.
4/29/25: Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) presented their geotechnical findings and reconstruction recommendations for Woodlawn.
PEC recommends reconstruction of the roadway between 45th Street and Quail Ridge Street, which includes removing and replacing unstable subsurface soil and the installation of an underground drainage system to address groundwater. For the remaining stretch between Quail Ridge and 37th Street, PEC advises installing similar underground drainage infrastructure and resurfacing the road using a mill and overlay process.
Click here to read the full press release
4/9/25: Public Works will begin minor maintenance along Woodlawn, including pothole repairs and milling high spots to help create a smoother driving surface. While litigation is still pending, the City received approval to proceed with these temporary improvements as PEC finalizes its data collection and determines the extent of reconstruction needed. We expect to receive their report within the next month, providing a clearer picture of the long-term timeline.
There will be crews on-site over the next couple of weeks. When they are present, the road will be reduced to one lane with flaggers directing traffic. Please watch for workers and drive with caution.
11/21/2024: Crews from Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) conducted full-depth core drilling and subsurface borings on Woodlawn while also installing monitoring wells along the roadway. These boreholes and wells will help PEC gather additional information to help assess the extent of reconstruction required.
10/8/2024: The City announces decision to file lawsuit regarding the Woodlawn Project. See the petition here: Woodlawn Petition
Week of 8/12/2024: MKEC was on-site to gather information from sections of Woodlawn to further inform the redesign of the road.
6/19/2024: PEC performed an additional geotechnical investigation to determine the extent of the subsurface water under the roadway. The Geotechnical Engineering Services Report from PEC was presented to the Bel Aire City Council last night at their open meeting. The City is actively working with a skilled team of professionals to gather design recommendations to remediate the groundwater issues and provide the City with a solid roadway that lasts for years to come. The June 19, 2024 Press Release regarding these geotechnical report findings provides further details. We will provide updates once we have additional information to share.
3/20/2024: City Council approved the first step towards the design solution for the failing roadway at March 19th City Council meeting. Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) will be on-site today (3/20) and tomorrow (3/21) to install monitoring wells and collect additional subsurface information.
2/7/2024:
On February 6, 2024, KDOT delivered their Subsurface Investigation Report to Bel Aire staff. The report provides comprehensive insights into the test results, identified failures, and proposed remedial options. The Bel Aire Governing Body received a copy of the report at the regular City Council meeting on February 6th.
City staff will share the report with all parties involved in the project, continue reviewing the report and meeting with KDOT over the next couple of weeks. The council will also review the information and begin deliberations on a plan of action later this month.
We understand there may be questions from citizens or the media but cannot comment further until all parties have thoroughly reviewed the report, had their questions answered and given ample opportunity to discuss the remedies.
We would like to sincerely thank Secretary Reed and his KDOT team for spending the time and resources necessary to complete such an expansive study. This report will give us the information needed to understand the failures, provide direction towards what repairs are needed, and ensure the citizens of Bel Aire receive the road they deserve. We will keep you informed as additional information is available and next steps identified.
1/3/2024 - 1/5/2024: KDOT is on-site conducting tests and taking pavement cores.
12/21/2023:
As you may know, Woodlawn is a WAMPO Project receiving federal highway dollars, overseen by KDOT, acting as the City’s agent in Bel Aire. Mayor Benage recently sent a letter to KDOT Secretary Calvin Reed, seeking assistance with the issues at hand. Secretary Reed visited Bel Aire on December 18th, personally inspecting Woodlawn to understand the issues firsthand. He then met with our team on December 19th to discuss and determine how KDOT could assist.
Secretary Reed committed that KDOT will take the lead in investigating the root cause(s) of the road failure and options for appropriate repair. KDOT's geotechnical team from Topeka will examine material samples, core drilling reports, inspection documents, and other relevant documentation. They will also review the design plans to identify the cause of the road failure and present repair options with cost estimates. The comprehensive report will be delivered to the City Council by February 1, 2024.
We hear your frustrations regarding this project and updates provided. We know they aren’t as frequent or may not be providing the information that is desired. Given the potential for litigation, our legal counsel advises limited communication that could impact legal remedies. Please know we are focused and actively working towards getting this project completed with a quality road. Securing KDOT's involvement is a notable step forward, and we appreciate Secretary Reed's leadership in addressing this project for Bel Aire.
11/14/2023 - Message from Mayor Jim Benage:
Bel Aire Citizens:
This is an update on the status of Woodlawn. We are frustrated with the slow progress, but we need to be very intentional on how we proceed. Not doing so, could cause the City even more problems. Questions are being sent to us. Below, are a group of questions with answers.
Q: What is going on with the progress of the construction?
The work on the asphalt road north of the tracks to 45th street has been suspended pending an on-going investigation into the failure of the east lanes. The wheel paths in the east lanes are deforming, cracking, slipping, and sinking. The City is leading an investigation into why this is occurring.
Q: When will the soil studies be completed?
In August, the City retained Terrecon to collect five coring samples. Those samples showed what was installed under the asphalt. The samples confirmed that the correct materials were in place, but raised concerns about weathered shale soils, the amount of AB-3 rock installed, and high moisture levels. This led the Project Engineer (MKEC), with the agreement of the City, to retain GSI to perform soil bearing capacity/strength testing at 24 different locations concentrated in the east lanes between the rail road tracks and 45th Street. Some testing was done south of the tracks and in the west lanes for comparison purposes. GSI also installed piezometers to start the process of measuring the depth and amount of ground water that may be present. GSI performed this testing on October 16-18. We are currently waiting for the GSI data to be released and to obtain GSI’s preliminary report regarding the stability of the sub-grade under the east lanes.
Q: When will results be presented?
The GSI results will be evaluated by MKEC, KDOT, and the City’s engineer. Then a plan will be developed for repairing the east lanes and finishing the project. As soon as this plan is developed and put in place, it will be shared with the public.
Q: The weather has turned cold, and the window has closed to lay down asphalt. Will we have to live with the mess till Spring?
Based on what we know right now, unfortunately, it is likely that fixing the east lanes will require the project to be pushed into the spring. Based on the results of the testing, temporary fixes will need to occur to provide a safe route during the winter season, e.g., patching holes, etc.
For now, we will continue north bound traffic in the middle lane with traffic cones. Our engineers advise us that we should not move traffic back to the east (northbound) lanes with the current condition of the roadbed. Since we are still working with traffic cones and not permanent stripping on the pavement, the traffic light at 45th will continue to be a four way stop.
10/6/2023:
The City has hired the law firm of Triplett Woolf Garretson to lead our legal efforts as well as a third-party engineering firm to review the project, defects, and assist with developing a path forward. Because KDOT, as the agent and representative for the City, administered and oversaw the construction of this project, we are asking KDOT and the third-party engineers to determine the best course of corrective action.
Currently, work has been temporarily stopped for the asphalt portion of the project until further investigation into the subgrade and asphalt is complete. However, other facets of the project such as landscaping, sidewalks, signalization, etc., can continue. The City is actively working with all parties involved to uncover the root causes behind the sinking, settling, slipping and deformation of the east lanes of the road. Our first order of business is to collect some geotechnical information for the road.