Manchester seeks funding for Hanna Road improvements

The city of Manchester expects to know by June if a project to improve Hanna Road between Manchester Road and Big Bend will win approval and funding through the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

That timeline was noted by the Manchester Board of Aldermen at its Jan. 16 meeting, at which time the board approved $1,800 to pay an engineering firm to complete and submit an application for the project by the March 23 deadline.

Preliminary plans call for resurfacing, widening of the road in selected locations including at Manchester Road and at the Parkway South High School parking lot entrance, new sidewalks, and a stoplight at the high school.

The project cost is estimated at $3.6 million, of which Manchester would pay 20 percent, or $720,000, with the remainder coming from the East-West Gateway Council.

The Council is the group designated by state and federal agencies as the metro planning organization for the bi-state area. Its board of directors has responsibility for selecting the road, bridge and transit projects in the region that will receive federal funds.

Brian Kulick, of the Juneau Associates engineering firm, told the Manchester board that if the application is approved, design work can begin. The likely starting date for construction is 2016, although an earlier date is possible, according to Manchester City Administrator Ed Blattner.

The road improvement would be done in three phases, Kulick said, with most work being done during the summer to minimize problems with traffic to and from the high school.