In the City of De Soto, Kansas, just southwest of the City’s primary residential and commercial districts, the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant is being transformed into Astra Enterprise Park. This industrial park has over 9,000 acres available for a job’s hub for the region. Panasonic’s electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility, scheduled to open in Spring 2025, is the first building in the industrial park. At 14 square miles, if the park were a city, it would be the 16th largest in Kansas: larger than Pittsburg, Junction City, Emporia – and even De Soto.

This development has significantly impacted demand for the City’s infrastructure. To accommodate projected traffic, expected job influx, and growing population, De Soto needs to meet these demands on a very accelerated timeline. This includes significantly upgrading transportation, power, data/communication, drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to support municipal and industrial development.

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), in partnership with Clarkson Construction Company, HDR, Burns & McDonnell, and Garver, is administering the project to provide the transportation infrastructure needed to support the 300-acre Panasonic facility. This roadway expansion project required an extremely condensed schedule with just 6 months for public procurement, 6 months for design, and approximately 18 months for construction. Given the critical schedule drivers, the necessity for multiple utility relocations, and the requirement for extensive engagement with various third parties, a delivery approach that is both flexible and collaborative became imperative. This project will be KDOT’s first Progressive Design-Build (PDB) project.

The project includes updating about 4.5 miles of two-lane roadway to a new, divided four-lane concrete roadway with curb and gutter, three roundabouts, sidewalks, and lighting. The project also includes new, enclosed storm sewer systems; two, single-span bridges; and multiple reinforced concrete box structures. Multiple utilities had to be relocated, including water, sanitary sewer, gas, fiber optics, power transmission, and power distribution service.

The work will be along the existing footprint of 103rd Street between Evening Star Road and the Lexington Avenue/K-10 interchange. The same roadway improvements will take place on approximately one-half mile of Astra Parkway, formerly known as Main Avenue, running north-to-south along the new Panasonic facility. The project is on track to be substantially complete near the end of 2024.