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If the rain holds off, Liberty could start spending federal stimulus money as early as this week on some arterial road improvements.

Steve Hansen, director of public works, said approvals from the state were in place for the project to be completed.

“It’s less than a week’s worth of work,” Hansen said. “Hopefully, we can do it before the end of the year, but it all depends on the weather.”

Earlier this year, cities were asked to submit projects that were shovel-ready as a way for the Obama administration to help kick start the sluggish economy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Eight months later, projects are finally getting under way, Hansen said.

“This is pretty fast for something involving the federal government,” Hansen said.

Under a plan administered by the Mid-America Regional Council, smaller cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area agreed to share $4.7 million in stimulus funds.

Liberty, Gladstone, Riverside and Parkville are among Northland cities getting money for road and bridge projects that were immediately ready for construction.

According to Hansen, Liberty will use its $378,061 allocation to improve Kansas Street from Missouri Highway 291 to Fairview Avenue, leading into the Square and to mill and overlay Mill Street at the intersections of Lighburne Street and Bowles Drive.

Hansen said both those streets carried a lot of traffic and the improvements when completed should be noticeable.

The project has gotten approval from the Missouri Department of Transportation, and the City Council Oct. 12 awarded a bid for $407,640 to Kansas City-based Superior Bowen Asphalt Co.

Hansen said the $29,579 shortfall between the stimulus money and the low bid would be made up from the capital sales tax fund. The Citizens Sales Tax Committee reviewed the request and found the use of the capital funds to be consistent with voter intent.

Hansen said the city was also hoping Operation Green Light would be successful in getting stimulus funds to further improve travel along Kansas Street. He said it had been a challenge to keep the traffic signals along the stretch of Kansas Street between 291 Highway and Interstate 35 synchronized.

“Things have not been working as well as they should,” Hansen said. “We’re still trying to tweak it, and it does work better than it used to.”

Hansen said there had been equipment failures and lane and turning changes and a lot of new businesses opening recently, adding to the traffic congestion along the Kansas Street corridor.

“There’s just so many vehicles that funnel into 152,” Hansen said.

Missouri Highway 152 east of I-35 is called Kansas Street. Hansen said more than 55,000 vehicles travel 152 daily.

Liberty Editor Angie Anaya Borgedalen can be reached at 781-4941 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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