Hwy 99 questions

[Janet Harrington]

Come on back for a visit, jensarlou.  If you need a place to bunk, I have an extra bed for a few nights.  However; we would have to send the kids to their dad's.  Don't have room for them, too.

[Jane]

We have driving from Topeka for 30 years and the highway is wonderful. To bad they waited so long to fix it.
Army Mom

[Marcia Moore]

     I have some information on the new Highway 99 project.  In August 2005, Koss Construction Co. of Topeka began clearing land for a new strip of Highway 99, beginning 1.3 miles north of the Elk/Greenwood county line, and concluding 1/4 mile north of Howard.  The reason this particular 12-mile strip of Hwy. 99 was chosen and approved for replacement was because of the high rate of fatality accidents that had occurred over the past several years.   
     The total cost of the project was expected to be approximately $11.8 million and the estimated completion date was initially set for December 2007.  Since the weather has cooperated, the project is ahead of schedule, but because fuel expenses have risen dramatically, the total cost of the project has jumped to $12.1 million.  Though the new strip of highway was fully opened to traffic in November 2006, the whole project will not be completed until the spring of 2007. 
     A Koss employee told me the speed limit on the new stretch of highway will raise (probably to 60 mph) as soon as the cement barricades along the east side of the highway are removed.  (There are two rows of these barricades – south of Peebles hill, and south of the S-curve).
     For the project, Peebles hill (not Peoples hill) was cut down sixty feet, after which it was built back up four feet for the new highway. 

[Janet Harrington]

Well, I sure learned something.  I always thought it was People's Hill.  It is called Peebles Hill.  Wow.

[Wilma]

I always wondered why it was called People's Hill.  Now I wonder why is it called Peeble's Hill.