Sedgwick County commissioners have approved an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for a study of the K-15 corridor between Wichita and Derby.

The study is being done because of traffic accident rates and traffic delays resulting from rail operations along the corridor.   The study will look at a strategy for overall land use and access management, and it will identify improvements that can be made to keep traffic moving safely as development occurs along the corridor.

The study will evaluate a nine-mile segment of K-15 between Interstate 35 in Wichita and 95th Street South in Derby.  KDOT will cover most of the $499,000 cost of the study with some additional funding from Sedgwick County, the cities of Wichita and Derby and the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Commissioner Jim Howell said he has been advocating for the study for several years, and he expressed thanks to KDOT and county staff for their work in getting the study underway.