KANSAS, Okla. — The town of Kansas has one of ten roundabouts maintained by Oklahoma Department of Transportation. However, the construction of one at the intersection of state highways 10 and 59 has been stalled for two and a half years.
The contract with Muskogee-based H&G Paving, ODOT said, was for a 60-day project in November 2022.
But numerous delays without decent explanation defaulted the contract and placed the company on suspension with ODOT, according to spokesman TJ Gerlach. H&G Paving is now listed as "permanently closed" on Google.
"Because of that, we're moving forward with working with their bonding company," Gerlach told 2 News via Zoom. "And it's kind of like an insurance claim against them. We're working through a process with them in order to reach an agreement to actually fully complete the project. The remaining work that needs to be done is, we're gonna resurface again just make sure it's all a good surface down there. And then obviously construct that center island. That will keep people from driving straight through."
In the meantime, Kansas residents complain they have been left with a lack of clarity and with a mess of road work materials.
"Yeah it's been almost three years. You'd think that'd be long enough for them to get this all finished up," local pastor Rex Blisard said on April 27. Blisard co-organizes the town's Faith and Freedom Fest each Independence Day weekend, and said the littered intersection has also caused traffic confusion the last two editions of the event.
Longtime Kansas resident Mardell Wilson emailed the 2 News Problem Solvers asking for help.
"We have no reason given to us why we're here, why we haven't been finished (with this intersection)," Wilson told 2 News. "The traffic barrels get beat up because there's no proper signage...It's a traffic nightmare here."
Gerlach said ODOT is close to an agreement to get a new crew to finish the project.
"Once we reach that agreement, we'll get a new contractor out there to complete it just as quickly as we possibly can," Gerlach added.
Temporary plastic barrels, metal rods sticking up from concrete, missing signs, and slit sandbags at the intersection have remained a nuisance for residents, however.
"It looks kinda redneck if you ask me," Blisard said. "We got cones laying everywhere. It just makes us look really bad as a town."
"It looks like I'm coming into a slum area," Wilson told 2 News. "And then when I'm going around (the roundabout), will be people cutting right through."
Kansas town officials confirm at least two instances of fender benders since 2023 are attributed to the cones and lack of signage, not to mention two collisions with light poles.
"People call us because they can't get a hold of ODOT," public works employee Tony Hyso said.
"They wanna know why it's not done (and) why we can't do anything to touch any of this," city councilor Darrell Pickup added. "It's not ours to touch."
"We still have a sign on the (north) end that they spelled 'Tahlequah' wrong," city clerk Melissa Garcia said. "So now it's just covered up. They've not fixed the sign even."
Residents and local leaders alike hope the replacement contractor ODOT ends up hiring will finally yield some results.
"As far as the roundabout, it's not bad. They just need to finish it up," Blisard said.
"I know that we're small and I know that we're in the rural area, but we have taxes that we pay just as everybody else does in Oklahoma," Wilson said.
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