The improvement project was complete October 2018.

 

 

 

Why widen SR-149? The number of people traveling along SR-149 to reach the monument is steadily increasing. The proposed widening of the roadway (12-foot wide travel lanes and 4-foot wide shoulders) will improve safety by providing adequate width for farming equipment and motorists, as well as providing a paved shoulder for recreational cyclists. The Brush Creek Bridge will be replaced in order to continue the wider roadway section at the crossing.

 

How is this project funded? The funding for this project comes from a federal program called the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP). The goal of this program is to provide and improve access to Federal lands for all modes of transportation. The State was awarded FLAP funds to widen SR-149 and to improve accessibility and safety for vehicles and bicycles.

 

Other area roads need work, wouldn’t the funds be better used elsewhere? Because FLAP funds can only be used for improving access to Federal lands, this project did not take away funding from other State roadway projects in the area. Utilizing the FLAP funds on SR-149 allows current State funds to be applied to other State roadways in the area. If we were to decline the FLAP funds for this project, eventually we would need to find funds at the expense of improving other State roadways.

 

Why not simply resurface SR-149 and not widen the road? This option was carefully considered by the project team and local representatives after we heard from residents. It was determined that a full project re-design with a goal to simply resurface SR-149 would require re-applying for FLAP funding and competing against other States for selection. The resurface project would likely not qualify for FLAP funding because it lacks any component to improve access and safety for all modes of transportation.