Construction Obstruction

October 14 - The city of Wichita may have to push back the finish date for a major construction project because of a problem hiding below the streets.

Construction zones are a familiar sight around town. Now there's an obstacle delaying the completion of work in one of the most heavily traveled parts of the city. Unidentified underground power lines along Rock Road between 21st and 29th streets are becoming a serious problem for city construction crews.

Construction on Rock Road started in early July. Public Works Director Chris Carrier says crews have had constant problems because utility lines under the streets were never properly identified. Every time they find an unexpected line, they have to redesign their approach. That adds time and money to the project.

So whose fault is it? The city says the utility companies should have done a better job identifying their lines. Westar is one of the utility companies involved in the project. A company spokesperson says the problem came up because an independent contractor did a poor job of finding the lines, and their company isn't to blame.

Carrier says the city is now working closely with the utility companies to determine who should pay for the mistakes and what needs to be done to prevent future problems.