Two Shawnee County road projects are headed to bid, and one of them is a sizable bridge job over the Kansas River.
The Shawnee County Commission unanimously approved an $8.6 million project budget Thursday to rehabilitate the NW Maple Hill Road Bridge, WIBW reported. Commissioners also unanimously approved an $820,000 budget for a pavement replacement project on SE Croco Road.
Public Works got the go-ahead to solicit construction bids on both.
The Maple Hill Bridge
Crews will replace the bridge deck and repaint the structure. Public Works Director Curt Niehaus said the cost came in higher than expected, mostly because of existing lead-based paint that has to be carefully removed and safely disposed of, according to WIBW.
The bridge will be closed while the deck is replaced. The county hopes to start work in February 2027 and keep going through the end of the year. Public Works plans to start soliciting construction bids in early December.
Niehaus said sales tax funds will pay for the whole project. It's a joint project with Wabaunsee County, since the bridge sits on the county line.
How we got here
The bridge has been in the works for a while. In December 2025, the commission approved a design services contract of about $243,000 with Finney & Turnipseed Transportation and Civil Engineering of Topeka, WIBW reported at the time.
The work isn't a full bridge replacement. It's a "re-deck," replacing the surface that people drive and walk on, plus a new paint job. Back then, Niehaus estimated construction would take about two years, one to re-deck the bridge and another to repaint the structure. The timeline WIBW reported this week, February 2027 through year's end, covers the next construction season.
The design and construction are funded through the county's half-cent countywide sales tax program, with a small share from Wabaunsee County. Niehaus explained in December that under Kansas law, the cost of major work on a county-line bridge is split based on each county's share of the combined total assessed value.
At that December meeting, a Rossville-area resident, Myron Leinwetter, raised concerns about the bridge's low guardrail and asked that the design consider safety for people walking and biking.
SE Croco Road
The second project is a pavement replacement on SE Croco Road, immediately north of the Kansas Turnpike Authority's I-70 bridge near Coachlight Village East. It will also include the SE Sycamore Drive intersection, WIBW reported.
Niehaus said the work will happen sometime in mid-2027.
Key dates and numbers
- $8.6 million: approved budget for the Maple Hill Road Bridge re-deck and repainting
- $820,000: approved budget for SE Croco Road pavement replacement
- Early December: Public Works plans to start seeking construction bids on the bridge
- February 2027: hoped-for start of bridge work, continuing through the end of the year
- Mid-2027: expected timing for the Croco Road work
Why it matters for contractors
The Maple Hill bridge is a real opportunity for bridge and heavy civil contractors in northeast Kansas, and it comes with a specialty piece of work. Lead-based paint removal and disposal is regulated work that calls for containment, worker protection and proper waste handling, and it's the main reason the budget rose. Industrial painting and abatement firms with lead experience should be watching closely, either as primes or subs.
Deck replacement typically means demolition, rebar and concrete work, here on a river crossing, with the bridge closed during the deck work. With bids opening in early December and work starting in February, contractors will need to line up crews, materials and traffic control over the winter.
The Croco Road job is smaller but still worth a look for paving contractors, especially those already working around Topeka. Both projects are paid for with sales tax money, which typically means a steady, budgeted funding source. Watch Shawnee County's bid postings in December.