The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), state and local officials and highway advocates attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the previously delayed U.S. 169 project in Anderson County this morning at Welda.

Starting in March, KDOT will reconstruct and rehabilitate 7½ miles of U.S. 169 from Welda north to the roundabout south of Garnett. Bettis Asphalt & Construction is the primary contractor on the $21 million T-WORKS project, which will add 10-foot shoulders to the roadway and provide a 32-foot clear zone off the highway. The project will also improve the vertical alignment of U.S. 169 to provide more opportunities to safely pass slow-moving vehicles.