Streets

Gravel Roads

South Hutchinson’s street department maintains all existing road surfaces and drainage ways. Though many streets are asphalt or concrete in South Hutchinson, there are a large number of gravel roads that are maintained across the city. City crews address many issues with gravel roads including surface smoothing and dust control.

Hard-Surfaced Road Conversion

In the Summer of 2015, the City Council approved developing a three phase plan to convert all the gravel streets in town to hard-surfaced streets. The process was piloted in 2014 on Plum Street from Avenue F to Avenue C and Wilbeck Drive. During the process the existing road surface is mixed mechanically with a concrete slurry solution. The road is then a 8" to 12" subsurface that is essentially concrete. A chip and fog seal application are then added as a wear surface. The result is a hard-surfaced road with a strong concrete base.

Three phases were determined by dividing the community into sections. Traffic analysis was used to determine that the most highly traveled section was in the neighborhoods west of Main Street. That area will constitute the first phase which is set to be completed in 2016. The second phase will be the portion of the community north of Blanchard. The third phase will be the portion of the community south of Blanchard. Phases 2 and 3 will be planned in the 2017 and 2018 respectively provided funding continues to be available.

New Subdivisions

Infrastructure including roads and utilities can be installed by petition of the landowner. Property must be annexed into the city and the developer must provide a 15% letter of credit to be eligible for the special assessment process. Special assessments will be available as debt capacity allows. Developers can also build infrastructure to city standard and dedicate it back to the city at their own cost. 

Road Maintenance

Grading, Patching, & Resealing Projects

Maintenance on South Hutchinson’s roads is an ongoing process. Each year all the streets in the community are scored on a set criteria to determine priority projects. Large maintenance projects are planned from that priority list. Public Works employees grade gravel streets on a routine basis as weather allows. Patching on asphalt and concrete streets is done on an as-needed basis weather permitting. Resealing and reconstruction projects are scheduled in a manner that allows the streets most in need to be addressed in the least intrusive way possible.

Road Closures

Any road closures due to maintenance will be posted on the city’s website as a news alert.

City Brush Pile

Residents of South Hutchinson are allowed to dump tree limbs at the Public Works shop. During the week, the site is open during normal business hours. It is closed after hours and on weekends except for the second Saturday of each month where it is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Only wood and limbs free of metal and as many leaves as possible are allowed in the brush pile. Leaves and grass clippings are not allowed at the city brush pile. Residents with those items are encouraged to use the Reno County Landfill located at: 703 S. Mowhawk Rd., Hutchinson, KS 67501

Street Cleaning

Street cleaning done on a routine schedule as weather and circumstances allow. City employees sweep the streets to maintain a clean and presentable streetscape. Sweeping is also to maintain safety and correct operation of drainage systems. Residents are not allowed to dump or dispose of any debris in the roadways or drainage structures.

Snow Removal

Road Treatment

Streets employees monitor approaching weather systems for potential ice and snow. In preparation of major events, employees can pretreat the city’s main arterial roads with a mixture of salt and sand. Applying the mixture prevents ice from forming on the road way, provides for additional traction to motorists and simplifies snow removal. The City has previously used a brine solution pretreatment, but due to lack of local availability of brine that product is no longer used.

In a weather event, city crews remove snow and ice on major arterial streets first after the snow and/or ice have finished. Major streets include:

  • Avenue F / Scott Boulevard
  • Blanchard Avenue
  • Main Street
  • Poplar Street
  • Sixth Street
Time and circumstances permitting, crews then clear and treat residential streets. In the event of snowfall, it is recommended that cars be removed from all city streets to prevent being plowed in.

Emergency Snow Routes

In 2015, the City Council adopted Ordinance 15-863 providing for emergency snow routes. When more than 2 inches of snow is predicted, parking on those designated routes is prohibited. Residents will have 2 hours from the declaration of snow emergency to remove their vehicles in posted areas. 

City crews are not allowed to go on private property. When clearing streets, snow is pushed to the curb. In some cases snow is pushed to the front of driveways. While this can be inconvenient, it is not intentional, but will not be removed by city crews. Alleyways are only cleared if time permits.

Route / Area

Main Street from South City limits to Woodie Seat River Bridge

Blanchard Avenue from West City limits to Plum Street.

6th Avenue from West City limits to Poplar Street

Poplar Street from Wabash Avenue to Kansas Avenue

Kansas Avenue from Poplar Street to Frank Hart Bridge

State Street from Main Street to Poplar Street

F Avenue from Main Street to Scott Boulevard

Scott Boulevard from F Avenue to 50 Highway Overpass

Detroit Drive from Main Street to Des Moines Avenue

Des Moines Avenue from Main Street to Detroit Drive

Sunnydell Circle from Blanchard Avenue to Friendship Road

Friendship Road from Blanchard Avenue to 6th Street

Public Works Drive from Plum Street to the WW Plant