Improvements to Manhattan’s levee system are more visible as the project nears the one year mark of construction.

A temporary levee was recently constructed near Hayes Drive and Casement Road as a new box gets installed. City Manager Ron Fehr tells KMAN plans are in the works to elevate that intersection and eventually install a traffic signal there.

Following levee improvements in that location, the city plans to signalize the intersection of Hayes and Casement. This week city commissioners authorized staff to apply for a Federal Aid Safety Grant for those improvements. Grants are awarded on a 90/10 split between KDOT and municipalities, meaning Manhattan would be on the hook for 10 percent of the total costs, which is estimated to range between 500 thousand to one million dollars. Grants will be awarded later this year and the city then can begin design work.

City commissioners also authorized staff to enter into a contract with Ebert Construction, of Wamego, for a new signalized intersection to be constructed at Highway 24 and Levee Drive — the site of the city’s new Joint Maintenance Facility. The city  received a lone bid of $1.36 million from Ebert Construction for signalized intersection at Highway 24 and Levee Drive, which should see construction sometime later this year.