Douglas County does have a program that allows civic organizations the opportunity to Adopt-a-Highway. Requests are made to the Public Works Department, 3755 East 25th Street, Lawrence, KS 66046. If you have any questions you may call the Public Works Department by telephone at 785-832-5293.
Roads are vacated by a legislative act by the Board of County Commissioners. The process to vacate a road is authorized by K.S.A. 68-102 et seq and, additionally, by Douglas County Charter Resolution No. 94-2-1. A hearing before the board and pertinent township board is required prior to action. Various public notices of the hearing(s) are required.
While it is possible for the Board of County Commissioners to vacate a road on their own initiative they are typically reluctant to do so without a petition.
Permission to place a gate on a rural public road may only be granted by the Board of County Commissioners only in locations that are typically agricultural in nature and not subject to routine traffic. Requests are made to the Public Works Department, 3755 East 25th Street, Lawrence, KS 66046.
If you have any questions you may call the Public Works Department by telephone at 785-832-5293.
Entrances must be constructed to proper standards and specifications for reasons primarily related to traffic safety. The standards and specifications are contained within an Entrance Construction Application Form available at the Engineering Division office at the Public Works Department, 3755 East 25th Street, Lawrence, KS 66046. There is a $75.00 fee required for submission of an application. If you have any questions you may call the Public Works Department by telephone at 785-832-5293.
Weather radios can be set to the following frequencies/channels to receive alerts for Douglas County:
All three of the aforementioned frequencies will broadcast watches and warnings for Douglas County. Which one you choose will depend upon where within the county, which side of your home faces the transmitter, etc. Choose the frequency which provides the most clear voice and the least amount of static.
Roads and bridges are rarely closed to traffic except in cases of major construction. If you have a question about a specific road or bridge you may contact the Public Works Department by telephone at 785-832-5293, or by visiting the Road Closings page.
The juror information line will tell you if you need to report.
A "minimum maintenance" road is a road that receives little or no routine maintenance and has been officially designated as such by the Board of County Commissioners. Kansas law (K.S.A. 68-5,102) allows for certain roads to be designated as "minimum maintenance" for various reasons. Generally, roads that have been so designated have very low traffic volumes and the local township with maintenance jurisdiction has determined other roads with higher traffic volumes deserve more attention and resources.
Each late-winter, with the approval of the Board of County Commissioners, the Public Works Department has an enrollment period for residents wishing to purchase a "dust control" treatment for the road fronting their property. This is a user-fee program, so the property owner pays up front for the estimated cost of applying the dust control material. In addition, the property owner pays approximately ½ the cost for the road to be prepared for dust control, and an administrative fee to cover our costs of brokering the program. The dust control material is typically applied in late spring
The process to designate a road as "minimum maintenance" involves a hearing before the local township, the county planning commission, and the Board of County Commissioners. Requests to designate a road as "minimum maintenance" are made to the Public Works Department, 3755 East 25th Street, Lawrence, KS 66046.
If you have any questions you may call the Public Works Department by telephone at 785-832-5293.
Various roads have different widths of right-of-way depending on several factors. Some have widths that were determined arbitrarily by statute based on the year they were created. Other roads have variable right-of-way widths depending on the terrain in which they are located. Roads built to modern standards generally fall into this category>.
Emergency Management can assist with the programming of a weather radio at no cost to you. Please call our office to set up an appointment.
Weather radios are sold in most local grocery and hardware stores, online and at the offices of Emergency Management. Our office sells Midland weather radios for $30 and will assist you with programming for no additional cost.
If the immediate safety of traffic is at risk due to a missing traffic control sign, i.e. a STOP sign, then you should contact the appropriate law enforcement agency by dialing 911. Other rural sign problems concerning down or damaged signs should be reported by using this form.
There are several agencies located within Douglas County with rural roadway maintenance responsibilities. State and Federal highways are maintained by the Kansas Department of Transportation. Other major rural routes are maintained by the Douglas County Public Works Department. Local rural roads are maintained by individual townships. Please see the Douglas County Road Map for your specific location, or visit the Roads page to identify which agency is responsible for your specific road(s).
If your Midland receiver is beeping, the following explanation is the most common, but it is not the ONLY explanation for a beeping receiver. The Midland WR-120 desktop NOAA weather radio knows it is supposed to receive a weekly test from the National Weather Service every seven days. If the radio goes for ten days without receiving a test, it gives out one beep every ten minutes. The radio will re-set itself at the next weekly test, or the next watch/warning issuance.