U.S. 59: Large construction crew benefits local ecomony

They are the 200 hands behind the work.

About 100 construction employees are working on a new, four-lane U.S. 59 highway stretching from Ottawa to Lawrence, Carla Brown, safety employee and secretary for contractor Ames Construction, said.

Brown said numbers dipped considerably in the winter because the weather was so bad, but about 90 to 100 construction employees — likely the maximum for the project — now are working.

“We do have a lot of guys who have been with us for years and years,” she said, adding that those employees mostly are operators.

Brown said a lot of the laborers and some operators are local workers.

Though she didn’t have exact figures, Brown estimated about 40 percent of construction workers are from the area. That includes Ottawa, Lawrence, Olathe and the Kansas City area, she said.

She said a lot of the workers live in camper trailers around the area while they’re on the project. Some are staying in local hotels, while others are renting housing units, Brown said.

Tom Weigand, president of the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce, said for those reasons and others, the U.S. 59 project has been beneficial for Ottawa and Franklin County from a general economic standpoint.

“Change always offers opportunities,” he said. “Just the construction has been positive — that does add to the economic impact.”

Brown said workers move from spot to spot as the project progresses. She said she couldn’t say for sure how long the Franklin County portion of construction would take, referring those questions to the Kansas Department of Transportation.

“But most guys that are here now on this project are here to stay,” she said.

Herald staff writer Jodie Garcia can be e-mailed at jgarcia@ottawaherald.com.