Critical Crossroads: Navigating budgets, roads, and bridges in Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri

In the heart of Southeast Kansas lies Cherokee County, where critical crossroads intersect with budgetary constraints and infrastructure challenges.  Cherokee County's road and bridge budget for 2024 is $3,685,450 million.  Funding that's spread across 1,300 county maintained miles and 234 bridges.  Compared to its neighbors, Cherokee County operates on one of the smallest budgets, but has the most miles to maintain.

Ever wondered about the distinction between county roads and state highways? It's a matter of who is responsible for maintaining them and paying for that maintenance. Currently Cherokee County maintains 999 gravel roads and 301 paved roads, including the bustling Old 96.  The Missouri Department of Transportation takes over on the state line, but on the Kansas side all the way to U.S. 69 Highway, the county is responsible.  2022 bridge inspection reports show more than 2,500 vehicles drive that stretch of county maintained highway every day.

Cody Zook is the Road and Bridge Superintendent for Cherokee County.  Referencing the Neosho and Spring Rivers, he sheds light on the county's challenges:

"We have some of the most stormwater runoff in the entire state in Cherokee County," says Zook.

With over 200 county-maintained bridges and hundreds of culverts, Cherokee County's Road and Bridge Department faces an arduous task. Each bridge undergoes yearly inspections, prioritizing safety and structural integrity. In 2022, inspectors marked 17 of Cherokee County's county-maintained bridges as poor, echoing similar concerns in neighboring counties like Bourbon County. Curious how the bridges rate in your Kansas county?

"Our department goes on those bridge inspections," says Zook.  "Whatever they tell us needs addressing first, those are the ones that get addressed first."

This proactive strategy led to the replacement of the 1935 Brush Creek Bridge on East Country Road due to safety concerns.  Construction is currently underway.  Zook's goal for the county is to address one bridge each year, with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) covering 80% of the costs, and the county responsible for the remainder.

Meanwhile, across the state line in Jasper County, Road and Bridge Super Bob Burris faces his own set of challenges. 40 bridges in his county are in need of attention.  Engineers are currently drawing up plans to replace the aging Joplin street bridge in Sarcoxie.  In the meantime, Burris has his focus on maintaining the county's 560 miles of roads, crucial for the region's agricultural activities.

"We have a lot of ag and agricultural activities in Jasper County," Burris shares, underscoring the county's economic backbone. "We have dairy farms and turkey farms. And those folks still need to come and go and get out of there."

Aside from Mother nature, rising material costs is still a concern for both Zook and Burris.

"We've gone from $50 a ton for asphalt pre-COVID to now it's $60 plus a ton," says Burris.  "So yeah, it does cut down what you can do."

Zook believes Cherokee County is on the right track, though there's much work to be done to maintain its critical crossroads.

"I feel that we are right on track to where we need to be," expresses Zook optimistically. "We have a lot of stuff to do, but if citizens bear with us, we will make it through."

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